Take Flight
by NarcissusXX
Summary: Valerie, a determined and weak-hearted girl, becomes trapped in the feudal era of Japan. She tries adapting to survive in the demon-ridden environment only to find herself following the lord of the West, a cold-hearted demon- at least at first. sessxoc
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, just this fanfiction.

Chapter 1:

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><p>"Haaah!" Valerie leapt forward and struck her rapier against the side of her opponent. The both of them froze in place for moment, allowing the referee to call the point and end the fencing match.<p>

The dark haired Valerie shook hands with her opponent before tearing the hot protective mask off of her face as she walked back to her bench. She uncapped her water bottle and let the cool liquid slide down her dry throat. With her other free hand, she wiped away beads of sweat on her forehead and glanced at the taller approaching man.

"Nice work, Valerie. Just a few more days of training and you'll be ready for the regional's competition."

"Thanks coach."

"Valerie… I just want to let you know that I'm glad you made me reconsider. I honestly didn't think you had it in you, especially joining us so late in the season. But I was wrong. I hope you weren't offended when I refused you the first few times."

"Not at all. It's easy to judge a book by its cover. Gotta remember to read it first." Valerie took a few gulps of water before slinging her gym bag over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow, coach!"

"…" The older man watched as she walked out of the training facilities. 'That girl has got a mind of her own. Stubborn to say the least.' He sighed.

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Valerie let a sneeze escape and shivered. The cool air that felt nice against her heated skin not more than 10 minutes ago was now working against her favor. Goosebumps rose on her skin and she cursed at herself for not changing when she had the chance. All she had on now was her loose white yoga shirt, black leggings, and her backpack.

Of course, she allowed pride to get the best of her and refused to appear cold to passing cars and walkers that might take pity on her. It was foolish, of course, but she needed to prove her strength. 'Nobody wants to play with a weak and sickly child,' Valerie thought darkly.

Her cold thoughts were shattered by a loud slam and the sound of glass breaking near her. She stopped in her tracks and looked at the tall set of stone stairs that she had just passed. Curiously, she walked back and peered up the steps. At the top appeared to be a shrine with a red roof. She turned back, about to continue on her way home, when she heard another thundering bang from atop the stairs.

Curiosity took hold of her and she allowed it to take her towards the noise. Her sore legs were aching from fencing practice already and climbing the stairs were hell on her muscles. Once she reached the top, she peered around the grounds of the shrine only to find nothing. It was so quiet and still. Truly a place of peace. Valerie rested her eyes and breathed in deeply.

A gust of wind blew a couple strands of Valerie's beautiful long hair across her face. A large tree bound with a thick rope caught her attention for a few moments before she noticed movement in the corner of her eye.

There was a girl in a green school uniform making her way towards a small wooden building. Valerie decided to follow her.

"Ah, miss? Is everything okay? I heard some…"

Valerie peered around the corner of the wooden door to see the schoolgirl standing on top of a well's edge. The girl's knees bent and the girl jumped.

"Wait!"

On instinct, the bewildered Valerie leapt forward and dove for the other girl's hand. Her hand managed to grab a hold of the schoolgirl's left wrist and the girl's eyes snapped up at Valerie in surprise. Unfortunately, Valerie wasn't in the position for rescuing and, instead, fell towards the well's bottom right after the schoolgirl still with a firm grasp on her wrist.

Valerie clenched her eyes and braced herself for an impact of either freezing water or hard Earth- neither of which she welcomed with open arms. Instead, she felt herself in momentary suspense before softly landing on her butt.

"No way..!"

Valerie opened her eyes to the exclamation and allowed her chocolate eyes to adjust before resting upon the girl clad in green and white before her. She saw the girl open her mouth to say something else, but Valerie instantly cut her off.

"Just what the hell do you think you were doing? If you've got a problem then get some help. You don't need to go jumping into a well! What's wrong with you?"

"You've got it all wrong!"

"Then, pray tell, why would anyone willingly thrust themselves into the depths of a well? Don't tell me you were trying to check the water level." She retorted sarcastically.

Valerie stood up and brushed herself off while staring incredulously at the girl in green. She held a hand out to the still sitting girl and helped her stand.

"No. That's not it at all. And thanks. I was actually... Hey, aren't you going to even listen to the answer you asked for?"

Valerie was already making her way up and out of the well.

"You can explain in more detail after we're out of this hell hole. Ugh."

Valerie hoisted herself up and over the edge of the well. There was too much light to be in that little wooden shed. Valerie took a moment to survey her surroundings.

There were birds chirping, not cars rumbling. There were trees everywhere she looked, not towering buildings. There was grass littering the ground, not trash. There was an endless clear blue sky above her, not thick gray smog. There was silence, not noise.

"Do you need more detail than this?"

"…." Valeria looked back at the schoolgirl jumping out of the well questioningly. "Where are we?"

"If I said Feudal Japan, would you believe me?"

"No."

"If I were to show you…"

"I might believe you."

"My name's Kagome, by the way."

"I've never met anyone under such odd circumstances before."

"I assure you, it'll only get more odd from here, ah…."

"Valerie. Pardon my manners."

"Valerie" Kagome said carefully. "Let me show you what you've just somehow stepped into then."

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

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><p>Night fell and Valerie found herself staring into the embers of a crackling fire. Surrounding her were Kagome and her friends introduced as Inuyasha (an odd boy clad in red. She did not fail to notice the strange white ears atop his head), Miroku (a lecherous monk that tried to make a move for her butt before getting slapped), Sango (the beautiful woman with a big boomerang that did the slapping), and Shippou (a cute little boy with fox-like attributes).<p>

It had taken hours for Valerie to adjust to these strange creature features on her new acquaintances and she still found herself in awe whenever she saw an ear twitch or a tail wag. It all seemed surreal.

"We don't have time to waste protecting another person!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome frowned.

"We have to go after Naraku. The longer we sit around and play protector, the stronger he becomes."

"I understand, Inuyasha, but we can't just leave her here." Sango spoke.

"It'd be even more dangerous if we were to bring her along with us." Miroku seemed to take Inuyasha's side. "Not that I wouldn't like your lovely presence with us, of course."

The monk in the black and purple robe kneeled, clasped his hands around Valerie's, and smiled. His antics were rewarded with a quick elbow to the side and an annoyed Sango.

"He does have a point." Sango turned to Kagome. "Did you have the sacred jewel shards with you when you jumped back into the well with her?"

"Yeah." Kagome frowned in concern. "We tried a number of times. I'm still able to pass through, but Valerie…"

Valerie frowned and glared into the fire. Somehow, she wasn't able to go back the way that she came. Upon Inuyasha's complaint and very adamant request, Valerie and Kagome had tried to return to the future time countless times. They tried adjusting everything, but it was to no avail. For some reason, Valerie was stuck in the Feudal era of Japan.

"Like it or not, Inuyasha, she's coming with us until we can figure out how to bring her home." Kagome announced with a stern look towards Inuyasha, daring him to contradict her. "I'm sorry, Valerie, to have to put you through this. It's dangerous here though and without anyone you know with you…"

"Kagome, if anything, I should be the one to apologize. I dragged myself into this and it's clear that I'm only going to get in your way."

"Valerie…"

"That's why I've decided to stay here."

"What?" The group of friends looked at Valerie. "You wouldn't even be able to defend yourself if the village came under attack."

"But like you said, these monsters or whatever are really only after the sacred jewel shards. These shards are under Kagome's charge, thus it'd logically be safer for me to remain here. You wouldn't have to worry about an extra life to guard. Am I right?"

"…" Kagome studied Valerie's light face. "Are you sure you're okay with staying here alone?"

"Positive. If anything, I can help Kaede out around the village."

"Can't argue with that. The girl knows what's good for her." Inuyasha leapt up onto a tree and lay on its branch. "I'm surprised Kagome, I thought that humans from your time were all thick-headed like you." He smirked.

"Sit, boy!"

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She had slowly grown accustomed to the traditional Japanese traditions and clothing, replacing her old clothes with the traditional kimono. Days had passed since she had jumped through the well and waved her new acquaintances off on their adventure.

'The fencing regional's are today.' Valerie thought idly. _'I wonder if I am missed?_' She shook her head. _'Of course I am. If not by my coach, then my friends… My mother… My dog….'_

Homesick. She felt it for the very first time in her life. She missed the food that her mother would make, as burnt as they usually were. She missed going out to get ice cream and fries with her friends. She missed coming home to an overexcited little husky puppy bouncing around her feet.

"Dear child. What could be the matter with ye?"

"I miss my home, Kaede." Valerie looked down at the basket of herbs in her lap. "Will I ever see my family again?"

"Worry not, dear child. We will see to finding ye a way home. Soon." Kaede laid her scarred old hand on Valerie's thin shoulder.

"I hope so."

"Lady Kaede!" A tall older man with black and gray hair was running towards the two women. "A demon is attacking the village!"

"Gather the men and weapons. Child, ye must take cover." With that, the old lady in priestess garb wobbled away towards the impending danger.

Up to this point, Valerie had still not seen a real demon with her very own eyes. She'd merely heard stories that resembled horror fiction and mythical tales. The only demons she had seen had been the stubborn and childish Inuyasha, the cute little fox, Shippou, and an adorable cat called Kirara.

Valerie did not put much thought into Kaede's warning and walked back to the village slowly, collecting herbs along the way. The sight she witnessed upon returning forced her to drop the basket she was carrying.

It reeked of blood and smoke. She could visibly see a few houses torn apart and mangled bodies littering the dusty street. Valerie walked in stunned silence. '_Is this really the work of a demon?'_

She followed a trail of fresh blood on the street towards the sounds of yelling and steel meeting flesh. She heard a blood curdling scream and found herself running towards the sound.

The scream had led her to the edge of the opposite side of the village. She left the dirt path and slid down a hill of grass towards the fields sunken in water. She could see some of the village men and Kaede circled around something big. When she neared the group, she could finally make out the demon's features.

It was a creature with eight long furry legs that dug into the ground in a crooked fashion. It's black abdomen was bulging and adorned with bright red and yellow designs. Valerie noticed what seemed to be acidic goo leak out of the spinneret. The top half of the demon's body was almost completely separate from its abdomen with the upside-down face of a young woman. The face looked normal enough at first until the demon opened up the rest of its eyes previously camouflaged into the cheek's skin. Eight bulging shiny black eyes. A spider demon.

The woman's mouth opened wide to bare large side fangs that protruded from within the mouth. The demon let out a familiar blood curdling shriek before knocking one of the village men off of his horse and pinning him to the ground with strands of acidic silk.

The man's skin deteriorated and the smell of rotting flesh permeated the air. The man's frantic squirming soon slowed to a halt as a pool of dark red mixed with green slime oozed around the body. The whiteness of some of his bones bared itself to the world.

It was the first gruesome death that Valerie had ever witnessed. From within her vocal chords, she released a barely audible whimper. Her entire body began to tremble and her skin lost it's warmth. She felt the blood drain from her face and could feel a faint dizziness blurring her vision.

"What are ye doing, child?" She heard Kaede yell at her. Her attention snapped back to reality. The spider had focused it's attention on her. The four forlegs began to raise in a pouncing position aimed at Valerie.

"Run, child!" She heard from Kaede.

In an instant, adrenaline pumped through her veins to prepare Valerie for her flight. Her heels dug into the ground before pushing her forwards in an all-out sprint. Valerie didn't dare look back to ascertain where the spider demon was behind her. All she needed was to hear that terrible shriek and heavy thuds behind her to keep pushing her forward.

Al of that training at the gym had paid off. Valerie mentally thanked her cardiac system. Her legs wouldn't stop moving; they simply couldn't stop moving. The spider demon was fast and she knew that it would soon catch up if she didn't find a place to hide.

She turned to run into the forest. Slender branches whipped themselves at her face and arms. It was struggle not to trip over tree roots and the uneven ground. It seemed like it had been hours since she started running, but she knew it had only been a matter of minutes. She felt a stab of pain at her very core. Her heart thudded painfully against her chest, threatening to escape from its confines. Her feet slowed and her lungs pumped hard to catch up.

Taking a moment to catch her breath and rest her heart, Valerie held herself up by leaning on a tree trunk. She tried to calm her loud panting and hoped that the demon had lost sight of her.

The forest was quiet. She couldn't hear a bird or cricket chirping. She knew that she needed to continue running, but it hurt so badly. Her heart was never good in the first place and to put it under this much stress was just as dangerous for her as a freaky acid-spitting spider demon chasing her down in the middle of the woods.

"Kukuku… I'm having fun…. Are you?" A sinister throaty laughter came from the other side of the tree.

Valerie's heart nearly leapt up into her throat. She choked from the kick of fear and fell forwards onto the ground. She turned back and looked at the spot where she had been resting against the tree. The demon's spindly legs were wrapped around from the other side of the trunk. From the side of the tree, the spider demon held its head out to take a better look at Valerie.

The spider's six extra eyes melded in the face's cheek snapped open. The large fangs protruded once against from the tiny mouth and the demon let out another high-pitched shriek followed by course laughter.

Valerie grasped at the ground to push herself up. Her mind was moving so fast and her feet just couldn't keep up. She had barely been able to catch her breath and her heart hadn't had the chance to slow. If she continued the way that she did, she would surely die from heart complications. She pushed on, nevertheless. Her panting was so loud and harrowing. Her mouth gasped at air, swallowing it in fervently.

She could see the edge of the forest. Hoping to see a village of some sort to help her, she pushed on. Light flooded her from all sides as she escaped the cage of trees. It was a wide field of bright green rolling hills.

She could not go on. Valerie collapsed and rolled down the hill leading away from the forest. Her heart was going to explode if she moved another muscled. All she could do now was wait for the pain of acid or fangs to come and hope that death greeted her quickly. '_Is this the end?'_

"Sesshoumaru-sama!" Valerie thought she heard a little girl yell.

The yell was soon accompanied by a blinding flash and a loud rumble that shook the very Earth that Valerie lay on. Her lungs were still working overtime and exhaustion finally overcame her. Her lids came down to shield her eyes from the blurred world. Before her consciousness met darkness, she could see a little girl with a tall white figure standing behind her.


	3. Chapter 3

*Author's note:

A little more about your main girl!

Valerie = love, strong, healthy, capable. (European roots) "Valentine."

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

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><p>The little girl with black hair crouched over the young woman that fainted in the grassy field earlier. Nighttime had reached the horizons and squashed out any sunlight that remained. A small green toad demon carrying a wooden staff with two heads was crabbily working on cooking fish over the fire for his young charge.<p>

The little girl, Rin, observed the slumbering woman carefully. Her cherry brown hair was long, reaching halfway down her back. Her cheekbones were set prominently with a blush of rose draped over her skin. She seemed to be fit, but her weak breathing made Rin doubt. Her body was thin even through the gray kimono she wore. The bottom hem of the kimono was a disaster of dirt and tears.

Rin cupped her chin in her hands and rested her head down on her knees. She had been hoping that the woman would wake up earlier to play with Rin, but it was no use. She doubted that her lord Sesshoumaru would oblige her in staying another day to wait for the woman to wake up. She noticed the woman's face cringing and her eyelids fluttering.

"Ah! Milady, are you awake yet?"

Valerie sucked in a breath of air and forced her eyelids to release her vision from its dark prison. Her eyes scanned the area. She was laying down on a bed of leaves on the very edge of a forest. There was a crackling fire with sticks of fish surrounding the edges and a small green toad squabbling with a two-headed creature of some sort. Hunched over her was a little girl in an orange checkered kimono with black hair held up on one side. The little girl smiled brightly.

"You're awake!"

"What… happened?" Valerie's voice was unattractively raspy. She tried to clear her parched throat.

The little girl offered a small canteen of water to Valerie, who took it without hesitation and savored every gulp of life she could take. With each gulp, her memory became clearer about the day's events. She really was chased down by a demon and somehow had gotten away. Her heart had survived yet another day and this was definitely not just a long nightmare.

After a few moments, Valerie lowered the empty canteen from her dry lips.

"Thank you." She handed the canteen back. "For the water and for taking care of me… Thank you."

"Mmhmm!"

"That big spider creature is dead?"

The girl nodded and Valerie lowered her eyes to her hands.

"I see. May I ask how?" She didn't really want to know, but she was curious all the same to know how anyone could've taken down a beast that terrifying. It must've been trapped and burned or drowned in a vat of bug spray.

"Oh! He went like this and slash!" The little girl mimicked the motions of a sword unsheathed and cutting through the air exaggeratingly.

"He?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Valerie dug into her memory and vaguely recalled hearing the name right before she passed out. She scanned her surroundings once more to look for anyone with the name of 'Sesshoumaru.' Her eyes landed on the toad.

"That thing... is your Sesshoumaru-sama?" She pointed at the wobbling, glaring toad.

"How dare you compare a low-life like me to my master Sesshoumaru! Filthy human!"

"No way. The toad talks!" Valerie was still not at all used to these animalistic demons talking, nonetheless talking in a comprehensive language.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is a lot more elegant and taaaall!" Rin stood and reached towards the sky with her little hands, attempting to show Valerie the height of her lord.

"I see."

"My name's Rin!"

"I'm Valerie."

"Do you like fish, lady Valerie?"

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The tired young lady rested her hands underneath her head and stared up at the stars. There were so many. And so bright too. It was a rare sight to see back in her time when clouds of smoke and smog covered up the true beauties of the world. She was growing to adore this new world she had fallen into. She could literally feel her heart getting better with all of the clean air she breathed and organic foods she was eating. She had even gotten in some intense exercise from running away from a demon (though it was definitely not something she wished to repeat).

She loved the adventure. The freedom of not being trapped behind hospital walls, being poked and prodded by doctors from all over the country. For the first time, she was thankful that her mother had decided to move to Japan to get treatment for her weak heart. She was thankful that she tried to save Kagome from falling into a well and failed. Perhaps it was Kagome that had unknowingly saved Valerie from her tight cage. For the very first time in all of her life, Valerie tasted the world and all of its beauty.

She smiled contently before closing her eyes and letting sleep embrace her whole body.

A few trees away, Sesshoumaru sat comfortably on a large branch watching over the camp. His eyes studied the human woman he had unintentionally saved from the literal fangs of death.

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	4. Chapter 4

*Author's Note: Hey. Thank you very much, Loveless and Kiyonora for the reviews!

Kiyonora, I definitely feel ya. Don't worry, I've actually got a pretty long plot for this fanfic. So I'll try not to disappoint! =)

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><p>Chapter 4:<p>

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><p>Sunlight crept over the horizon slowly. Everybody was still slumbering peacefully save for one.<p>

"We're going."

The tall man stepped on the toad demon as he walked towards the North, parallel to the sun. The toad croaked and began yelling at the sleeping females.

"Get up, humans! Sesshoumaru-sama is leaving!"

"But why are we leaving so early, Jaken?" Rin rubbed her eyes and slowly got up from her spot next to Valerie.

"How dare you question Sesshoumaru-sama's will! If he says we leave, we leave. If he says we jump-" The toad was cut short by Sesshoumaru.

"Inuyasha is approaching."

"Inuyasha?" Valerie shot up, her eyes wide.

Sesshoumaru stopped and only moved his eyes sideways to look at Valerie. He had very unintentionally rescued a friend of his little brother's and by doing so, had welcomed trouble.

As for Valerie, it was her first time actually seeing her savior. She stared at Sesshoumaru. He had unusually long silver hair and strange markings on his face. He wore an elegant white kimono with red designs and a large pelt of fur over his left shoulder. He was the strangest human she had ever seen.

Sesshoumaru ignored Valerie and continued walking forwards. Jaken, the two-headed dragon, and Rin began to follow him. Rin paused and looked back at Valerie, forgetting for a moment that she was not a part of their group.

"Lady Val, will you come with us?" Rin looked so excited and expectant at Valerie. The toad had a completely different expression.

"Of course not! Sesshoumaru-sama does not want to have another lowly human following and getting in his way!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin turned back at her tall lord in white and pouted.

Before any decisive words could be uttered, Inuyasha jumped out from the forest. He set Kagome down from his back. The rest of the group emerged from the forest as well, panting.

"I thought I smelled something dirty." Inuyasha smirked. Sesshoumaru did not even bother to turn around and face his brother. "I didn't know that you would stoop so low and kidnap a helpless human."

'_A helpless human? I didn't even suspect that Rin might have been kidnapped from her family! It was unusual for a little girl to be in the middle of the woods with a demon and a strange looking guy. What was I thinking?_' Valerie bit her lip, ashamed that her observational skills had failed her.

Kagome ran to Valerie's side and held her shoulders. She inspected Valerie's body and noticed a few cuts and bruises. He kimono was ruined entirely at the bottom hem. Her hair was sticky and her hands were dirty. Valerie wasn't even wearing her sandals anymore.

"What happened, Valerie? Are you okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine."

"You don't have to act tough, Valerie. What did he do?"

At this Valerie blanched. '_They think Sesshoumaru kidnapped me!_' Her eyes widened at the realization and she waved her arms in front of her rapidly.

"You've got this all wrong! Sesshoumaru-sama didn't kidnap me!"

"Sama?" Inuyasha's mouth opened in disbelief.

Valerie had been used to hearing Rin and Jaken regard Sesshoumaru highly and she picked up the term. She frowned at her mistake and ignored Inuyasha's surprise.

"He didn't kidnap me, I promise. Actually, he saved me from a demon!"

"Human, I had no intention of saving your life. The demon was merely in my way. Do not mistake me." Sesshoumaru's low smooth voice rang out.

"How cold." Miroku frowned.

Valerie didn't know how to feel. She had allowed her mind to attach kind attributes to the man that saved her life. She had been expecting him to be kind, reserved, and polite. She had practically imagined a handsome prince charming. Instead, he was such…

"An ass!" Valerie pointed at Sesshoumaru. "Thank you for accidentally saving me against your will and I'm sorry you had to do so." She fumed.

Sesshoumaru began to walk again with his group following him. Rin took a few steps before looking back with a smile for Valerie.

"It was nice meeting you. I hope I see you again!" Rin hurriedly followed Sesshoumaru and left.

Valerie stared off after Rin. She had developed a soft spot for the little girl that always seemed to be happy. She truly wished to one day see Rin again. Unfortunately, Rin seemed to be completely loyal to Sesshoumaru. Just thinking about Sesshoumaru's words left a sour taste in her mouth.

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"Augh! What a jerk!" Valerie clenched her hands.

"That's Sesshoumaru for you." Inuyasha clasped his hands behind his head and looked up at the sky.

"Valerie, what happened?" Kagome looked worried.

"A big spider demon attacked the village yesterday morning. It started to chase after me and I just ran. That's when that jackass killed it and accidentally saved me in the process, apparently. And here I am."

"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried when Inuyasha said that he smelled your scent mixed with Sesshoumaru's."

"Hmm. Sesshoumaru's changing." Miroku thought aloud.

"Changing?" Sango asked.

"In the past, he would never have waited an entire night with a human even if he had accidentally saved them." Inuyasha nodded in agreement with Miroku.

"Am I to assume he's… a demon too then?" Valerie asked.

"Sesshoumaru is Inuyasha's older brother. He's a full demon instead of just half like Inuyasha."

"Hey!" Inuyasha growled.

'_A demon? That explains why he was able to take down that spider demon by himself. And the weird sense of style._' Valerie thought to herself. She sighed. "I don't care what he is. If this is how he is when he's 'changed', then I shudder to think of what an inconsiderate jerk he used to be."

Kagome smiled nervously, remembering her first few encounters with Sesshoumaru and how 'pleasant' they had been.

"Let's just say we're surprised you're not dead yet." Inuyasha's crass remark made Kagome glare at him.

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Valerie walked silently behind the others towards the village. There was glimmer of regret and dread in her mind. She didn't want to see the few bodies back at the village. The mixture of acid and blood terrified her.

She was surprised upon their arrival at the village that everything was cleaned up rather nicely. The streets and fields looked almost the same as they had been when she first arrived.

"Dear child! Thank kami, ye yet live."

"Kaede!" Valerie assessed the few scratches that the old lady had. Very minor battle scars from the fight the day before.

"Lady Valerie! You're alive!" One of the towns men exclaimed. "And a mess at that."

The man's wife shushed him and slapped him upside the head. Valerie smiled and realized that she must've looked horrible. '_No wonder Sesshoumaru didn't want to save me.'_ She found herself wondering why she had even thought of Sesshoumaru.

"So I am. Excuse me, Kaede. I'd like to take a bath before we talk over food."

"Of course." Kaede nodded.

"I'll get another kimono for you to change into. And a towel! I'll meet you at the pond?"

"Thank you, Kagome."

With that, Valerie headed towards the pond with the small waterfall. She couldn't stop thinking about the cold words that Sesshoumaru had said. She couldn't believe that anyone in the world could've been so heartless and uncaring when it came to another helpless creature in need of assistance.

Once she reached the water, she tugged off her ratty kimono and slid into the cold depths of the pond. '_It's freezing!'_ She shivered and clenched her teeth before submerging her entire body underneath the water. She could still feel the sticky sweat and dirt clinging to her skin and clumping her long strands of hair together.

Valerie swam to the top of the water to catch a breath. She found Kagome approaching with a towel, a kimono, and just what Valerie need: shampoo. Kagome hung the pieces of cloth over on a rock near the edge before handing the bottle of strawberry shampoo to Valerie.

"Oh, thank you! You're a life saver!"

"Haha. Thank goodness I'm the savior this time." Kagome smiled and kneeled down to keep Valerie company.

"… Kagome." Valerie started. Her face turned serious as she lathered soap through her dark mahogany hair.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"About Sesshoumaru, why is it that he keeps a human child with him if he doesn't care about humans?"

"I'm actually not quite sure, myself, to be honest. But to tell you the truth, I think that Sesshoumaru really has changed."

"Again, this changing theory. Could he really have been worse before?"

"He was power-hungry back then. He's tried to kill Inyasha for the tetsaiga a number of times. But I have a suspicion that Sesshoumaru has attacked us a few times to save Inuyasha too. Without Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha probably would've died a while ago."

"So he goes around secretly saving people... By trying to kill them?"

"I think he's kind deep down inside his heart."

"If he is, then it's deep deep deeeeeeeep down in his heart!" Valerie scowled and dove underneath the water to wash off the soap and grime.

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"I'm coming with you guys this time!" Valerie slammed her hands against the wooden floor.

"What? But it's even more dangerous out there with us." Sango pointed out.

"I know. But I'm willing to take the risk. Besides, I'll admit that I enjoyed my little adventure with the spider demon. I've never felt so alive before!"

"No. You're not coming with us. You'll get in my way and we can't afford to lose time and energy in order for you to get your adrenaline rush in." Inuyasha barked.

"I promise I won't get in the way. If anything, I would even be willing to learn how to fight to protect myself. Besides, I'd be in danger staying in the village too just as much as I would if I came with!"

"We run into more demons than this village. And more powerful ones than spider demons, at that!

"I don't care. The point is that I'd be in danger either way. I can protect myself."

"You don't understand, girl. We've been fighting all of our lives to protect ourselves and we still have trouble getting out of messes."

"And Kagome?"

"She's different! She had spiritual powers to defend herself."

"Inuyasha's right. It's too dangerous to have you come with us." Miroku seriously concluded.

Valerie growled in anger. She most definitely didn't want to stay in this village any longer. She had to find a way to return to her own time. As nice as the adventure was, she needed to see her mother again. She had a life surrounded with friends. She felt like a sitting duck in this era. No delicious fast food, no warm bubble baths, and no hospitals specializing in heart surgery...

"Fine."

"Fine?" Inuyasha asked. "Just now, you were practically biting our heads off to let you come."

"Yes. I give up."

"Thank you for understanding, Valerie. It's not that we don't want you to come, We're just trying to protect you." Sango patted Valerie on the shoulder.

"I know. I just…. I can't go home and it's nerve-wracking to just sit here and wait for things to fix themselves- if they even get fixed at all."

"Valerie…." Kagome's gaze softened at the slouched girl.

"There is... A legend," Kaede spoke up mysteriously. "of a shrine that guards time in the North. Perhaps it would be able to tell you why time has stopped for you at your home."

Valerie's eyes widened with hope.

"Don't get ye hopes up, child, for it is merely a legend. No one has ever seen this shrine."

"But legends start somewhere, right?"

"We'll check it out after we come back." Inuyasha offered. "Just let us get this sacred jewel shard before we lose it to Naraku. We'll try to hurry. Then you can come with us."

"Really?"

"Are you stupid? Or deaf? Because I thought I made it pretty clear." Inuyasha mocked Valerie.

"Inuyasha! You don't have to be so rude!" Kagome reprimanded Inuyasha.

"No. Thank you. It's very kind of you to come back for me." Valerie smiled.

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.

.

Two days had passed before Inuyasha and his friends left again. Valerie stood in the middle of the field sunken in with water and rice paddies to wave her new friends off.

"I'm sorry." She whispered after their figures disappeared into the horizon.

She felt guilty for betraying her friends caring wishes. She knew they only wanted to protect her, but she couldn't stand being babied again. There was nothing for her here at the village. She needed to find her way home as soon as she could.. There was only one thing for her to do. She already had a plan and had been working the past two days in order to gather enough money and supplies.

Valerie waited for night to fall and sleep to overcome everyone in the village before quietly packing her earnings and essential items. She slung her bag on across her back and set off towards the North.

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	5. Chapter 5

***Author's note**: Thank you for the reviews! They mean a lot to me and I absolutely _cannot_ wait to show all of you everything I've cooked up for this fanfic. I spent the past few days lounging around and thinking up different things that I could do with the story and I've got a few pretty good surprises that I think you'll like! In fact, I put off all of my studying and homework for it (and had to pull an all-nighter last night to study for a midterm exam...). The story will get a lot more plot/action/romance-packed after this... But you can be the judge of that later.

For now, here's Ch. 5 and I hope you enjoy the read. Thank you again for reading my fanfic! =)

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

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><p>"Are you kidding me?" Valerie kicked at the wooden door and screamed. "I demand that you release me!" Kick. "Do you hear me?" Kick. "Right now! I mean it!" She pummeled the door with more than a dozen good kicks.<p>

It was an nasty predicament that she found herself in. She had just set out on her journey only four days earlier and had made an effort to stick to the path more often traveled by humans, in hopes of avoiding the strange demons that seemed to plague feudal Japan. Unfortunately while she was daydreaming and watching the sun rise, a small group of burly men jumped down onto the empty road and captured Valerie. They hauled her kicking and screaming back to their camp where they stored her inside a small wooden hut, locked and guarded from the outside. It appeared that the men were waiting for their leader to return and claim his 'prize.'

Valerie shuddered in disgust. She was not about to let some ugly fat man claim her against her will, but it had been hours since they had kidnapped Valerie. By now, her feet were slightly swollen from kicking on the door and her voice was threatening to give out on her from the constant screaming. Her hands were bound tightly together behind her back by heavy rope and she could feel nasty burn marks on her wrists from twisting and struggling against the rope so much. She had laid on her side in one position for the entire morning and her side sure felt it.

She rested her voice for a moment and swallowed to keep her throat lubricated in preparation of more screaming. In this short-lived moment of peace, she heard claps and "hoorays" from the men outside of her hut. It sounded like the big cheese had just returned from a battle and brought dinner with him.

"What? You got me a wench? Ha ha ha ha!" The leader let out a hearty laugh. "Well? Let's see her then!"

"Bring the wench!" One of the men hissed towards the men Valerie assumed to have been guarding the hut.

The light wooden door opened to allow sunlight in as well as a big muscular man with very few hairs left. The man spared no consideration for Valerie as he easily picked her up by her right arm and dragged her out from the tiny hut. Before she could even gather her bearings, she was forcefully thrown down face first into the dirt. She glanced up to see a pair of feet clad in steel right in front of her. She could only assume that this was the pack's leader.

She couldn't bear to lift her head and look at the man's face. She imagined him to have only a couple teeth left, a big beard, a couple head hairs, and a breath so foul that would've made even a skunk jealous. She perceived the leader kneel down and felt her chin being lifted towards the man's face. Valerie dared to open her eyes to glare at the man.

What she found instead was a rather handsome face staring into her own. Acorn-tanned skin with dark eyes and short black hair tousled by the wind framed a boyish face.

"You have hair." Valerie pointed out and mentally slapped herself in the face for sounding so stupid.

"Ha ha ha! Yes. A lot of it. What other prenotions did you have about me?" The man grinned down at her. Valerie frowned.

"..."

"Where did you come from, little miss? You don't look like you're from around here."

"..." Valerie scowled and cursed her parents for creating a mutt.

"What, you suddenly lost your voice? Are you that enthralled in my handsomely good looks?" The man stood and pulled Valerie up by her left arm.

"What good looks?"

"How dare you speak to our boss like that, wench!" A nearby grunt man barked. The leader quietly held up his hand and silenced his underling.

"No no. I like this one. She's got guts." He dusted his hands off and turned away from Valerie. "Speaking of, anyone else starving?"

The group of about 20 men roared and scattered to get dinner ready, practically ignoring the poor girl behind them. Valerie took this chance to conspicuously hobble away but before she even reached 15 feet, a heavy arm was dropped across her shoulders. The young handsome leader lazily looked over at Valerie and slowly steered her around by the shoulders.

"And where is your pretty little face goin'?"

"Where do you think?"

"To my hut."

"You're disgusting."

"Interesting. I've never heard a woman call me that before, but I hear that there are women out there that say the exact opposite of what they mean. So perhaps what you mean is that I'm a handsome gentleman with a dashing smile."

"No. I meant what I said."

"Surely you jest."

"Would a gentleman keep a poor defenseless girl bound in ropes and thrown inside a hut like a rag doll?"

"Well I assure you, _my lady_, that I am quite the gentleman. Of course, I am a gentleman of a different nature- a gentleman among bandits and thieves, to be correct."

"So you're a criminal."

"That's such a strong word."

"Will you deny it then?" The man grinned and unwrapped Valerie's bindings.

Valerie shrugged the ropes off her and rubbed her aching wrists to sooth the pain. She noticed that the leader was admiring her face and felt his eyes shift downward to admire the rest of her. She glared at him. He laughed and threw up his hands in a defeated position.

"I am a man, after all."

The kidnapped victim watched these men working together to roast their dinner on a spit, drinking sake, and laughing like it was their last night alive. Valerie continued to scowl at the men around her from her seat on a log next to the fire. The bandit leader had dragged her everywhere with him for an entire hour and kept talking to her. Of course, she wanted none of that and just glared in silence as a response. She could tell that the men respected him and even put him on a pedestal.

"Woman, you're beginning to bore me."

"..."

"Perhaps you'll be more exciting back in my hut." He smirked.

"Valerie." She grumbled.

"Hmm? You said something?"

"I said my name's not 'woman', you fool. It's Valerie."

"Well, my name's not 'fool', my dear Valerie. It's Akio."

"When do you plan to release me?"

"Whenever I feel like it, my dear."

"I insist that you stop mocking me with endearments and release me. You have no right to keep me here."

"Come now. Just enjoy it as it comes." He grinned childishly and Valerie was left to wonder if he had been trying to make a sexual insinuation. Her attention was ripped away from the conversation and thrown towards barking from behind the trees.

"Well, lookit what i found? A little mongrel runt cryin' in the bushes!" One of Akio's lackey's lifted a small white puppy up by the scruff.

The little puppy kicked the air and turned his head to bite the towering man. The man released the dog and fumed, his face turned bright red.

"I'm gonna kill ya' and skin yer fur for a hat, you lil' mutt!" Valerie jumped up from her seat and grabbed the puppy before the man could kill it with a blow, protecting it within her embrace.

"Leave him alone, you blockhead!"

"What did you call me, wench?"

"You heard m-" Valerie was cut off by Akio placing himself between the two feuding humans.

"Enough."

"She started it!" The lackey pointed accusingly at Valerie who rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Real mature, idiot." Valerie snapped at him.

"It sounds like someone's grumpy from being up past her bed time." Akio grabbed Valerie's elbow and led her towards what she realized to be his hut.

Valerie clutched the dog closer to her and tried to dig her heels into the ground, but Akio was much stronger. Akio slid the thin wooden door open and tossed her onto his bedding.

"This is definitely not how a gentleman acts!" Valerie scrambled to get up and fight off Akio if he touched her, but he didn't. His back was already turned to her.

"It would be wise if you didn't try to pick fights and do unnecessary things in front of wild men." Akio turned his head to the side to speak to her before stepping back outside. "You can sleep in here tonight."

"You're not going to try to...?" Valerie trailed off her sentence and let the silence continue.

"I'm a gentleman after all, remember?" Akio smiled and slid the door to his hut closed, leaving Valerie with the whimpering puppy.

"Don't worry, puppy. I'll protect you." Valerie laid down next to the dog.

.

.

.

The next morning came as soon as Valerie shut her eyes. She didn't even realize just how exhausted she had been from traveling on her own for the past few days until she laid down on an actual bed with blankets. She heard a faint knocking on the door of the hut.

"Hey, girlie. Rise and shine." Akio slowly slid the door open, giving Valerie enough time to straighten out her disheveled appearance.

"What?" She hissed.

"Come with me." Valerie grumbled, but stood and followed him, the young puppy followed closely at her heels.

Akio led the three of them for quite a while before stopping in the middle of a large field of grass. A few trees sprinkled the area, but the hills of grass seemed to stretch forever.

"This is it."

"I don't see anything."

"That's the point."

"You're planning on killing me here?"

"Not quite. See this entire field? Stick on these types of terrains. You'll be able to see danger coming from a mile away. The regular road's just as dangerous as a forest filled with demons." Akio leaned in towards Valerie to give a dark warning. "Humans can be just as cruel sometimes."

The way he gave the warning sent an ominous shiver up her spine. She wondered if he had been wronged by another human in the past. Valerie stared at Akio as he smiled and patted Valerie's shoulder. He placed a wakizashi into Valerie's hands. "I know it's not much to work with, but... It's the only other weapon I have than my katana. I hope it will serve you well."

"You're... You're letting me go? Why?" Valerie clutched the short sword in her hands.

"Why not?"

"Oh, I thought I was kidnapped for a reason." She snapped in sarcasm.

"Oh and you did your job. You stole my heart with your beauty and kept me entertained. That's all I ask. Besides, I need to set my little bird free before I can expect her to fly back to me, right?"

Valerie stared in surprise at the tall bandit smiling down at her. She hesitantly smiled back at him before walking past him and continuing her way Northward. She glanced back and uttered a quick "thank you" before briskly walking alongside the sun. '_He's the complete opposite of Sesshoumaru...' _She thought and mentally hit herself for letting the demon man thrust himself into her thoughts. She hugged the small ball of fluff in her arms and pushed forward with determination.

Akio was left to watch the receding silhouette of the young woman.

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.

.

"Wait!" Valerie panted. "Puppy, slow down! I shouldn't even be chasing after you!"

As if the puppy were responding to her complaints, he let out a sharp bark before running even faster through the fields. The two of them had been traveling for half a day already when the dog just suddenly took off. Valerie squinted her eyes and realized that the puppy was running towards someone. She strained her eyes and began to recognize the person as she approached.

"Rin?" Valerie managed between her quickened breaths. The little girl's head snapped up to see Valerie approaching.

"Lady Valerie!" Valerie's lips curled up in a smile before she noticed that Rin's expression was serious. Her smile dropped.

"Rin? What's wrong?"

"There's a demon." Rin said plainly.

"What? Where?" Valerie's muscles tensed as she scanned her surroundings. She hadn't seen anything else within miles. Rin slowly pointed up into the sky.

Valerie craned her neck upwards and finally saw it. The demon looked almost exactly like a big meatball with bat wings and an over-pronounced underbite. It's eyes were bulging out of it's face and it's fangs were baring at the two girls below. The little white puppy that Valerie picked up secured the area between the demon and the girls, growling and barking at its foe.

"Rin, we need to run!" She grabbed Rin's little hand in her own and tugged, but the girl wouldn't budge.

"Lord Sesshoumaru will save us!"

"He's not here right now!"

"No. Sesshoumaru would never let me get hurt!" Rin stubbornly held her ground.

'_She sure has a lot of trust for an uncaring jerk_.' She placed little faith in the handsome insensitive man. Valerie dropped her bag of supplies and unwrapped her new wakizashi from it's makeshift cloth sheathe. She aimed the tip of the sword towards the demon in the sky. Taking this to be an invitation, the demon swooped down at Valerie.

"Rin, go take cover!" Valerie leapt towards the batty demon as well. She hoped that her fencing training would at least lend her some advantage in battle. The clang of fangs meeting steel resonated throughout the fields. Valerie swung the demon around, but it's jaws were locked in place on her blade. She raised her foot and kicked the demon square in the face, causing it's fangs to release their hold. Before the demon could gather it's balance, Valerie raised her sword above her head and slashed downwards through the demon's body. The demon let out a rather loud cry before dissolving into the air.

"That was a lot easier than I expected." Valerie let her sword rest on the earth when she heard a shriek behind her.

"Sssisssster!" Valerie whipped her head around to see a much larger version of the same demon flying towards her with it's fangs aimed for her head. Just before the fangs could connect with Valerie's head, the demon stopped and dissolved into the air as well.

Valerie's big brown eyes were wide open in terror and utter surprise. The barking from the puppy stopped from background. Beyond the dissolving demon was Sesshoumaru standing with a golden whip materialized from his two fingers. The same golden color illuminated the very eyes that lay themselves upon Valerie.

"Sesshoumaru-sama! I knew you would come!" Rin jumped up and down and clapped her hands happily.

"Do not leave without Jaken or Ah-Un again." He spoke softly, his eyes not blinking nor shifting away from Valerie.

"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama! I didn't want to wake Jaken up... But Rin has Sesshoumaru-sama and Lady Valerie to protect me! And look at these pretty flowers I found!"

Rin pushed the yellow dendelions and wild daisies towards Sesshoumaru with the sweetest smile on her face. The man finally broke his long gaze from Valerie's eyes to look upon the strong-smelling flowers that Rin had picked. He turned and began walking.

"Come, Rin."

"Yessir!" Rin stayed behind Sesshoumaru obediently.

"... Wait!" Valerie spoke before she'd lose to her pride. "Would you be traveling North?"

"..." Nothing from Sesshoumaru.

"May I follow you?"

"Do as you wish, human, but don't get in my way." Was the low response she received from the silver-haired man.

It left Valerie to wonder whether or not it would be such a good idea to follow Sesshoumaru. However, if she kept getting attacked every few days like this, she would not survive even remotely long enough to return to her home. She needed protection and guidance, but was she in more danger in the presence of such a cold-hearted man? Her hand was then grasped tightly by Rin.

"Come!" Rin pulled at Valerie to follow them. The white ball of fur barked and wagged his tail happily, following Valerie closely.

Once again, Valerie let her feet lead her towards her new adventure. This time, with the lord of the West.

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><p><strong>Notes<strong>:

_Akio_ _= "glorious hero"_

_Wakizashi = a japanese short sword that is often coupled with a katana. When both are together, the coupling is referred to as a daisho. In ancient Japan, only samurais are allowed to carry both swords._

_._

Whew! Finally, the parts of establishment are complete. Now Valerie can get on with her elopement... I know all of you wanted more Sessoumaru action, but I promise there will be a lot more Sesshoumaru from now on. I just had to get Akio out there since... Well... You'll find out later! =)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

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><p>It had been days since Valerie had abandoned the clear path to follow Sesshoumaru. Everything had gone well so far, with Jaken and Ah-Un quickly disposing of any lesser demons before they attacked the group. Sesshoumaru was rarely seen as he was always either going on way ahead of the group, or he was off doing some other investigating.<p>

Valerie couldn't say that she was not pleased at this. Traveling with the quiet lord heightened her nerves and awkwardness. She came to dislike the handsome demon for his short quips and better-than-thou commands. However, the benefit in traveling with the group was evident. She had barely even had to worry about any dangers and all she had to give in exchange was companionship with Rin and her cooking. The white scraggly puppy that had been following her was getting bigger and bigger. He had obviously been fed well by both Valerie and Rin and in return, the dog would try to protect the two whenever it could.

"Jaken, when will we pass by a human village?" The short little toad in brown glared at Valerie was using his name so loosely.

"Never. Sesshoumaru-sama keeps us from those foul-smelling pits."

"Foul-smelling? As I recall, toads don't have a good sense of smell."

"I am not a toad!"

"Regardless, we need to go into town eventually. We need food supplies and clothes."

"We have both."

Valerie rolled her eyes and stomped over Jaken, heading towards an herb that she recognized to be edible. She peered through the bush and reached her hand in to uproot the herbs for dinner. Before she could yank the green plant out of the ground, a hand grabbed hers.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Valerie screamed and fell back on her butt, staring wide-eyed at the obscene bush. Her white puppy ran towards the bush and barked incessantly at the bush, making sure Valerie was safe. As if on cue, Sesshoumaru shifted towards the group quickly to ascertain the danger lurking in the bush.

"If you value your life, you will show yourself." Valerie sweat-dropped at Sesshoumaru.

'_As cold and to the point as always_.' She sighed. '_Who would want to come out when he's like that?_'

Sure enough, from the bush's leafy bosom emerged a little boy of about 13 years that tumbled down towards Valerie. Valerie frowned when she examined his condition. Both of his eyes were black and blue and his left eye was almost completely swollen shut. His legs were such a bloody mess that he could barely stand and his arms were no better. His clothes were shabby and torn. It looked like he had whip marks all over his back. He didn't move from his position on his knees in front of Valerie. She rushed over to help the boy up by slinging his arm across her shoulder.

"We have to help him." Valerie carressed the boy's cheek softly and examined his wounds closely. Her statement was met with silence from Sesshoumaru. She looked up at Sesshoumaru and scowled. "Please!"

"Do as you wish." Sesshoumaru took a seat against a tree facing away and rested his eyes.

Rin rushed over to help tend to the boy's wounds with Valerie. In the meanwhile, Valerie glared at Sesshoumaru's back. '_He really is heartless._' She thought before beginning the boy's treatment.

.

.

.

Once again, Valerie found herself staring into a crackling fire. She glanced over at the boy as he savagely tore his meal apart. It was as though he hadn't eaten in years.

"How are you feeling, Mamoru?" She asked. The boy stopped and hesitated before answering.

"F-fine. Thank you." It was the boy's turn to stare at Valerie. "Why are you helping me?"

"Lady Valerie's super nice!" Rin threw up her hands and grinned.

"It's the right thing to do." Valerie smiled. The boy continued to stare. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"

Mamoru fixed his eyes on the leg bone he had been chewing on between his hands. From the soft glow of the fire, he looked sad. Valerie decided to mind her own business.

"It's alright. You don't have to tell me."

"They hate me. All of them." Mamoru spoke softly.

"Who's 'them'?" Rin asked.

"Everyone in my village. They're afraid that I bring death to their children."

"That's silly. How is that possible?" Rin prodded in Valerie's place.

"I can see death." Silence fell on the camp and Valerie looked at the boy curiously. "I can see the mark of death. It's a mark around your neck that only appears when you are about to die."

"Are you serious?" The boy looked at Valerie strangely before answering.

"Yes."

"And so the village people now believe that you're a bad omen?"

"I tried the help them, but I'm too weak. The dark rings don't appear for nothing. I know that there's something out there that's killing the other children. That's why..." The boy dropped down to his knees and bowed before Valerie. "Please, you have to help my friend. She's been marked and I don't know how to save her. I don't want her to die!"

"Ah..!" Valerie looked down at the boy with surprise. The entire time that Mamoru had been with them, he hadn't seemed to give a care about anything until now. It was obvious that his friend was important to him and Valerie just couldn't say no. "Of course. I'll do everything in my power to help you."

"Really? I am in your debt. Truly. Thank you." Mamoru exclaimed.

.

.

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It was in the dead of night when the group was sleeping when Valerie suddenly got up. She was having nightmares about her home. Her homesickness hit her like a ton of bricks and she couldn't stay laying down. She threw another log into the fire before walking towards the edge of the forest. Her puppy sensed her anguish and followed her.

She took a seat in the cold grass and looked up at the stars brightly lit. She knew that they were the same stars, but they looked so much different than the ones from her home time. The white fluff ball nuzzled up in her lap, seeking warmth and comforting the solemn girl. After a few moments, it's ears perked and it's face turned to look at the demon beside Valerie.

"You're not strong enough to kill the demon plaguing the boy's village." Valerie kept her eyes on the stars above her. "Leave the boy."

"What? What are you saying?" Her eyebrows furrowed together.

"You cannot control the thoughts of his villagers. He would be better off dying now than enduring more beatings."

"How could you say that? If we can kill the demon that's killing off the other children and save his friend, then the other villagers will have to recognize that Mamoru is innocent!"

"You lack the strength and ability to do that."

"Maybe I do, but you..." Valerie realized what Sesshoumaru was trying confirm. "You're not going to help me, are you?"

"..."

"How could you watch the weak suffer and just stand there doing nothing? Are you really that cold-hearted?" Valerie snarled and stood to make her self appear taller and stronger, but Sesshoumaru still towered over her.

"I do not wish to concern myself with the problems of others."

"You really are the worst." Valerie clenched her fist and growled. "Fine. I don't need your help."

Valerie left the edge of the field to return to her spot next to the campfire and for the rest of the night she seethed, unable to sleep. She knew that it had been foolish of her to accept a request fight a demon and expect Sesshoumaru's help, especially when she was simply following him for protection. Instead, she wound up thrusting herself willingly into the heart of danger. _'But I just can't understand how he could just stay out of this and not feel guilty_.'

When morning came, she woke Mamoru and had him lead her towards his village. She decided to let Rin sleep and hoped that she would bother Sesshoumaru with questions about her absence when she woke up. She glanced at Sesshoumaru still resting against a tree a ways away before turning to leave. If she disliked him before, then by now she loathed him.

"Come, puppy." The little puppy trailed along behind her. They hiked through the woods for a while before the boy began to slow down. They stayed on the outskirts of the village with Mamoru only daring to peek in from the safety of the trees. He pointed towards the village.

"There it is."

"You're not coming with?"

"I can't. They'll try to kill you if they think you're helping me."

"... Alright." Mamoru quickly grabbed her wrist before she stepped out of the trees.

"Her name is Hara."

"Got it." Valerie reassured the young boy with a smile and a thumbs up before leaving towards the village.

When she got there, the village people looked at her oddly. It was apparent that they did not receive many visitors and the fact that she had a little puppy following her around did not help her blend in at all. She walked over to a few small shops and pretended to look interested in the wares. The town seemed unusually quiet. Its people were in despair. She noticed quite a few townspeople wearing black mourning kimonos. Parents of the deceased children, she assumed.

"Excuse me, miss." Valerie looked up at the old woman behind the table of jewelry. "Are you looking for something?"

"I'm actually just traveling around. A trip of leisure, I suppose. What's going on in this town?"

"I suppose it would be foolish to lie to you when our village looks like this." The both of them watched as a woman in black silk walked past, wracked with sobs. "Our children are dying." She said.

"Dying? From what?" Valerie asked.

"The demon child! He sends death to our children." A man who overheard Valerie's inquiry shouted.

"How? I can't imagine any child purposely killing others."

"He tells the child that they will die and sure enough, a few days later, the children wind up dead- with their bowels ripped out and blood drained from their bodies!" He yelled angrily. A nearby woman burst out into tears.

"He's a monster!" Another said. Valerie could hear the people around her whisper and curse until one voice rang out among the rest.

"Momo..." A young lady dressed in fine silk stood in the midst of the crowd gathering. She had pitch black hair held up in a bun and beautiful porcelain skin. She looked genuinely worried.

"Hara..." The elderly woman behind her tried to usher the girl back before the other villagers threw a riot.

"Bingo." Valerie whispered. She watched the girl throw a nasty glare back at the villagers before following what Valerie assumed to be a servant away from the small market. She looked back at the older woman behind the table and smiled, holding up a small flowered hairpin. "I'll take it."

After pocketing her new gift, Valerie followed the path towards the larger home that Hara had been ushered towards. Outside of it, she saw the young woman looking down at her feet. Valerie decided to approach the young lady, hoping for the best.

"Hara-san?" She tried politely. Hara looked up at Valerie.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Momoru sent me."

"Momo?" Hara nervously looked around before nodding at Valerie to follow her into the courtyard. "How is he?"

"He's fine now, but he's been hurt pretty badly." Hara seemed really worried for Momoru. The girl fidgeted and looked away. Valerie felt bad for her. "What's really been going on here? Momo sent me to get information and protect you.

"It's a demon that's been stealing the young under the cloak of darkness." She described mysteriously. "The children all say that they hear a voice calling for them in the middle of the night, beckoning them to go to the demon."

"Do you know where they go?"

Hara shook her head. "No. Momoru and I couldn't get any other information before the children disappeared."

"I see."

Valerie wondered whether or not to tell Hara about her mark of death. She decided against it. It would not help the situation to worry the young woman.

"Would you care to stay here for the night?" Hara suddenly offered.

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"Not at all. Momo's friend is my friend." Hara smiled.

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	7. Chapter 7

***Author's Note**: _I can't even begin to describe to you guys how distressed I am. I am so excited to get to Valerie's epic quest that I'm already starting to write the chapter and do all the research on the details and everything, but I need to focus on these next few chapters to lead up to the mysterious shrine first! Ahhhhh!_

_Also, thank you for the thoughtful reviews. =)_

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

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><p>Night fell and Valerie tried to fight off sleep for the second night in a row. She was determined to protect Hara and waited for her to start acting strangely. Her plan was to follow Hara straight to the demon's nest and from there; Valerie would try to kill it while she had the element of surprise. She hoped down to her very soul that lady luck would favor her tonight. There was a knock on her room door.<p>

"Come in."

"Lady Valerie." It was Hara carrying a tray of tea. "I thought that you might like a drink."

"Oh, thank you." Valerie cleared off her table of her bag and wakizashi. She noticed Hara's eyes flickering to the weapon as she set the tray down. "How are you feeling?"

"Well, I haven't had anything strange happen just yet. I-I think I'm doing well." Hara appeared nervous. Valerie dug in her kimono sleeve and handed the hairpin she had bought earlier to Hara.

"What's this?"

"A gift to help calm your nerves." Valerie smiled before amending her statement. "From Momoru." She knew it was a lie, but it was a harmless lie to help both Momoru with his secret affections and to calm Hara. Two birds; one stone.

"From Momo..?" The young woman stared at the hairpin in surprise before smiling back. "Thank you."

Hara turned to leave. "Sleep well, Lady Valerie." The door slid closed.

Valerie took a seat and let the puppy jump onto her lap. She stared thoughtfully up at the wooden ceiling, imagining different strategies for different situations she might run into later. Her nerves were killing her. She reached over for her cup of tea. Abruptly, the puppy began to bark relentlessly.

"Oh, puppy. You're not helping to calm me down at all right now!" She sighed and placed the edge of the cup to her lips. She was able to take only a fraction of a sip before the puppy jumped, making her spill the tea all over herself. "Seriously!" She quickly disrobed before she got burned and wiped the tea off of the table and floors.

The puppy quieted down to low whimpers. He circled around the room and clawed at the door. Valerie frowned and threw on her second gray kimono.

"Hear something, puppy?" Valerie quickly fixed her red obi as she leaned on her door, straining to hear anything going on outside. After hearing nothing, she slowly slid the door open and poked her head out. She gave a 'quiet' signal to the puppy and as if he understood, the puppy stopped whimpering and sat down.

It took her eyes a little while to adjust to the night's darkness but when they did, she could see the silhouette of Hara in the moonlight. Hastily, she snatched the black hilted wakizashi off of her bed and quietly followed Hara. She maintained a safe distance from the young woman, leading her to an unfamiliar cave. Brush and vines hid the opening of the cave well. From the outside, it just appeared to be an ordinary rock.

Valerie watched the young Hara climb up and into the cave. Valerie peered in from the edge. There was no demon in the cave. Her plan of surprise would not be effective at this rate, she realized and climbed into the cave herself. As she reached over the edge, a wave of fatigue washed over her entire body. Her vision was slightly clouded. She paused to gather her strength, but she realized that her symptoms were slowly getting worse. She heard the little puppy at her feet whimpering softly. Struggling to continue, Valerie tightened her grip on a vine and pulled herself up.

"Hara!"

Hara turned around. "What are you doing here?" She asked sternly.

"We have to get you back to the village where it's safe."

"..." Hara's eyes shifted behind Valerie.

Valerie followed her eyes and turned to face whatever was behind her. It was a short child with long black hair. The little boy appeared dazed.

"You called for me..?" He spoke apathetically. Valerie knit her brows together before turning to the young woman.

"Hara...? I don't understand."

"I don't expect you to." That's when Valerie noticed that Hara's eyes glinted violet in the moonlight. Her skin was gray and her fangs were apparent.

"... Why?"

"Why else? Survival."

"They're just children!"

"Children have the nutritional sustenance I need to live and stay young."

"But Momoru..."

"Yes. He was getting in my way. A good scapegoat, but he kept butting his nose into my business and insisting that there was a demon. I had to get rid of him."

"You were the one that led the townspeople to believe he was the killer."

"I didn't need to do much. His actions made the humans suspicious of him already."

Valerie clenched her teeth and fought back the fatigue. Her vision blurred even more and she fell to one knee, keeping her body up with her wakizashi.

"I am surprised that you showed up. I expected you to be sleeping soundly by the time I finished here. It looked like I was not careful enough, but it seems that you did take take tea after all." Hara slowly drew out a dagger from her silk obi.

"You poisoned the tea?" Valerie struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Not poison, my dear, but merely a strong sleeping potion. If only you had taken it, you might have survived." She licked the blade slowly before smirking. "Now you'll have to die!"

Hara ran at Valerie and slashed her dagger across the air. Valerie swiftly dove out of the way, but stumbled and fell face first into the ground. She used her shoulder to push her up from the side to roll away when Hara came to strike her again. He hands were almost completely numb and her feet wouldn't obey her thoughts. Her very knees shook when she tried to get up. She could hear loud barking from the little puppy sitting outside of the cave.

"I'll kill you then I'll kill that yapping bitch." Hara stood over Valerie with her foot on Valerie's long hair, holding her in place. The demoness raised her dagger.

"Hara?" The demoness turned to the cave entrance. Momoru was standing with a bewildered look. "All this time... It was you?"

"..." Hara gazed at him, holding his arm out to protect the little boy behind him.

Valerie took this chance to slice her wakizashi across Hara's neck. Her eyesight was blurring and she could only guess where she was aiming. She missed her mark, but cut Hara's chest instead. Hara let out a piercing shriek and fell backwards. Valerie clutched at the earth and tried to pull herself towards the edge of the cave, following the feverish barking.

"Lady Valerie!" Momoru stepped forward to aid Valerie, but was interrupted when Hara swung her dagger at him, cutting open a wound on his leg. He fell to the ground, grabbing at the burning wound. Hara then faced Valerie and stomped on her back with one foot, holding her in place again.

"You've scarred my body!" Hara shrieked angrily. Her foot came down harder on Valerie's spine, threatening to break her bones. "Die!"

All the Valerie could hear was the barking. She waited in anticipation for the sharp blade of steel to end her life. Instead, she was met with silence. The weight of Hara's foot left her back and a strange sound of gurgling resonated through the cavern walls. She took in a breath of air before flipping over to her side to see assess the situation. She gaped at the sight before her.

Sesshoumaru held Hara up in the air by the neck. His hands were glowing a vivid green. It looked to be acid that was burning through Hara's throat. Hara's violet eyes traveled over to Momoru before they rolled up to the heavens. Sesshoumaru dropped the limp demoness' body to the ground. Valerie looked away from the bloody sight. The smell of burning flesh was unbearable. Her eyes wandered to Momoru who was shielding the eyes of the little boy. Momoru stared at his old friend's mangled body before leaving the cave.

Valerie didn't know what to say to Momoru. Not only had she failed in protecting his friend, but she uncovered her treacherous nightly activities, and indirectly caused her death. Yet she knew that she had to say _something_ to him. Valerie allowed her eyes to glance back at Hara's body and noticed something in Hara's hair. The flowered hairpin that Valerie had given Hara earlier. Valerie was dumbstruck. She had used the pin to hold up her hair tonight and it looked absolutely gorgeous on the young woman.

Had Hara been in love with Momoru the entire time? It was indeed strange for Hara not to have killed Momoru before when she had the chance earlier. Valerie reflected on the thoughts carefully before coming to a conclusion. _'Love makes people do strange things_.'

Valerie pulled herself over to the dead body and hovered over Hara. She wiped away loose strands of hair from Hara's porcelain face and closed her eyes with a hand. "I'm so sorry." She whispered.

"Sometimes, it is better not to concern yourself with others' business."

Valerie turned to face Sesshoumaru. "But I am glad I did."

"Are you?"

"... I don't know anymore." Valerie smiled bitterly at herself. "Did Rin send you?"

"No."

Valerie tilted her head in confusion. "Surely, you couldn't have come for me." She laughed dryly.

"..."

"... Thank you."

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"Momoru." Valerie shifted nervously in her spot behind the 13 year old. He sat on the edge of the pond and wouldn't even look back at Valerie. "I know you probably hate me, but I feel that I need to apologize to you."

"Save it." He mumbled.

"I'm so sorry. I should've handled th-"

"I said save it!" Momoru stood and turned to face the frazzled woman. "There was nothing you could've done. Nothing you could do to change what happened."

"I know."

From Momoru's eyes poured a stream of tears. Valerie stepped towards the boy and let him cry on her shoulder. "I think she loved you."

"I know."

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.

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"Will you be okay back at the village?"

"Yeah. That little boy told them what really happened. I should be just fine."

"Momoru, I'd like to ask a favor from you."

The boy gave Valerie a questioning look.

"Will you take care of him?" Valerie cradled her prized canine companion in her arms. "He's a very good protector. And an even better friend."

Momoru stared at the little white puppy hesitantly before nodding. He took the puppy from her arms and stared at its squished puppy dog face. The puppy barked and licked the boy's nose, causing the boy to laugh.

"I'll name him 'Erie'." Momoru paused. He looked strangely at Valerie again as he did when they first met.

"What is it?"

"... Nothing." Momoru looked away.

Valerie was sad to see her little friend go, but she echoed what she had heard only a couple of days previously from a wise man: sometimes, you need to let what you love go before it could return. She was glad that she could at least ensure Momoru's safety and treat his loneliness. She turned to walk towards the strange group of demons and a human girl waiting for Valerie to return.

Valerie laid her eyes upon the demonic lord of the West's back. The sunlight lit his frame and his beautiful hair shimmered. He said nothing to acknowledge Valerie nor the fact that he had saved her butt for a second time- this time, it was on purpose. There was no doubt. For the first time, she didn't feel like running the other way.

'_Maybe... Maybe he's not so bad after all..._'

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Momoru kept his eyes on the young girl walking behind her group. He wore a look of concern and sadness for what he saw upon her neck was indeed the mark of death.

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><p>*<strong>Author's note<strong>: _Dun dun dun! Thank you for reading!_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

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><p>"But you don't understand!" The dark-haired young woman whined. She took a seat on a nearby rock next to the river bank. Exhausted, she took off her black slippers and sighed. Her body was not at all used to traveling so much and it was starting to wear down on her.<p>

"There is no reason for us to make the awful trip into a village of humans." The toad, Jaken, quipped.

"Have you taken a look at what I'm wearing? This is my only kimono and I've been wearing it for daaaays!" Valerie threw up her hands exaggeratedly. "And we've been eating mushrooms and fish for every single meal. Every. Single. Day."

"How dare you take for granted what Sesshoumaru-sama has given you!" Jaken squaked.

"No no no. I'm definitely not trying to take anything for granted and I'm extremely grateful for all that your Sesshoumaru-sama has done for me." Valerie glanced at Sesshoumaru. "But Rin's clothes are getting worn, my clothes are past worn, a different type of food would be awesome, and I know that the sound of a nice, soft, comfy bed sounds just as good to me as it does to you."

"Hmph!" Jaken crossed his little arms and looked away with his chin up.

Valerie looked at Sesshoumaru. Even after being saved by Sesshoumaru (on purpose, finally), Valerie still felt awkward around him. He rarely ever said a word and most of the time, he was nowhere to be seen even. She sighed, giving up on the different approach before she even attempted.

Stretching her arms out and standing up, she yawned. "What I wouldn't do for a hot bath and a new warm kimono!"

"There is a village in the distance."

Valerie opened her eyes and retracted her arms. She stared at Sesshoumaru, unsure as to whether she had heard him correctly. Rin, Jaken, as well as Ah-Un stared at Sesshoumaru with the same exact thought.

"Did I hear that correctly?" Jaken was the first to ask.

"I do not like to repeat myself."

"O-of course not, milord!" Jaken bowed quickly.

"Yay!" Valerie jumped excitedly and took both of Rin's hands within her own. "Aren't you excited?"

"Y-yeah." Rin still did not feel completely comfortable around a lot of village people. Her past experiences were less than great, to say the least. Rin hoped that this experience would be much better. She could tell that it would make Valerie extremely happy and Rin wanted to keep Valerie smiling. The little girl wondered what caused Sesshoumaru's change of heart.

"We will not be passing by for long."

"But long enough for a hot bath, a nice meal and a comfy night's sleep, right?" Valerie wondered if she could push Sesshoumaru while he seemed to be in a good mood.

"No."

"..." Valerie glared at him. "Just 'no'?"

"Rin will need warmer clothes for traveling to the Northland."

Valerie sighed. '_I should've known.'_

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"Waaah. Real food!" Valerie drooled at the grilled squid stand in the center of the marketplace. The village ended up being fairly large with many shops and many bustling people with a lot of spare change.

Valerie and Rin were left to run into the village by themselves as Sesshoumaru and Jaken waited outside of the village. It was clear that Sesshoumaru was not about to step any closer to the village than he had to. Valerie was mildly disappointed. Her chances of persuading Sesshoumaru to stay a little longer were slim if he wouldn't even come with.

"Lady Valerie." Rin tugged on Valerie's hand. She was too short to see everything on the stand's table. Valerie squat down and lifted Rin up on her back. Rin was enjoying her time in the busy city with Valerie. The both of them were so easily amazed and distracted by the simple things. Sometimes, Rin even got to teach Valerie about some common items and practices.

"See? They have grilled squid, gyoza, and tempura. Doesn't it smell good?"

"Waaah!" Rin pointed at the grilled squid.

"We'll take two skewers, please!"

The old man behind the food stand handed two skewers of grilled squid, wrapped in a thin rice paper. "Thank you for your business." He bowed.

The two of them took a seat before they went off to shop for clothes. The grilled squid was a delectable mixture of sweet and salty flavors and the texture was smooth. Rin was having a blast in the city with Valerie. '_Maybe people aren't so bad after all._' She recalled the kindness and respect that the vendors and people on the streets gave. She was getting much different treatment now than she had received before.

"I wish we could stay here."

"Hmm?" Valerie looked over from her skewer.

"Just for one night. But I don't want to be a burden on Sesshoumaru-sama."

"I'm sure he would listen if you asked him. It seems to me that he's got a soft spot for you, Rin."

"Do you think so?"

Valerie nodded, hoping fervently that the little girl would take her advice.

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.

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"Please Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin pleaded shyly with the demon lord of the West. Valerie looked on earnestly.

"..."

"Please?"

"..."

"Pleeeease?"

"Do as you wish."

Now it was Rin's turn to jump hysterically with joy. She ran over to Valerie who was in shock.

"Did you hear that?"

"I did! Now we can spend all day shopping, and our evening in a nice bath and enjoy real food..." Valerie began daydreaming.

"You must come too, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"No." Sesshoumaru did not feel the need to venture into a smelly human city where noises were coming from everywhere and scents were overpowering. He wasn't comfortable with his senses being dulled at any extent. He could tell that Rin was sad from his response, but it was better this way.

"If I may..." Valerie came to the rescue. "If Rin and I are to stay in the city tonight, it is only appropriate to have a man with us for protection."

"..."

Valerie gauged his reaction before continuing. "For two young girls to be traveling alone in such a populated city where creeps lurk around every corner..."

"Perhaps it's best that we leave then."

"Or you could just come with us. Please. Rin rarely gets to see her own people and has to deal with the harsh conditions throughout your traveling."

"..."

After a few moment's pause, Sesshoumaru quietly sighed and stood from his resting spot. He began walking towards the city of humans. Valerie and Rin glanced at each other and grinned. Jaken nearly fainted on the spot at Sesshoumaru's leniency.

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"What do you think?" Valerie spun around, showing off a potential new kimono for Sesshoumaru. She was only half-joking when she asked for his opinion, knowing that he wouldn't say much- if he even said anything at all. She began sifting through the other kimonos that she wanted to try on.

"It's mediocre."

"... Mediocre?" Valerie raised an eyebrow and glared back at the demon lord before going back to her business.

"You look better in red." Sesshoumaru advised before turning away to walk back to their guest room.

"Ah..?" Valerie's face felt a little warm. "… I'll get the red one" She handed the deep red kimono over to the clerk along with several other kimonos after making sure that the dog demon gone. '_I'm not buying the red one just because he said that. I happen to like the red one better_…' She reasoned to herself.

Upon her return to the room they had rented for the night, Valerie joined Rin at the hot spring baths and got cleaned up. She could remember the last time when she had felt so relaxed in her life. She helped Rin get dressed in a little yukata before changing herself and returning to the main dining room. Sesshoumaru was already sitting on the floor in front of a table of food.

"It's impolite to keep others waiting."

"Well, you could've started eating before us, you know. We had to get cleaned up first." Valerie and Rin took their seats at the table.

"Sesshoumaru-sama. Where's Jaken-sama?"

"Tending to Ah-Uh."

"That's too bad…"

"You're so thoughtful, Rin. I'm sure Jaken wouldn't want you to worry about him." Valerie smiled. "Itadaikimasu!" She picked up her chopsticks. "Now, hurry before the food gets cold! ...Are you not hungry?" She glanced over at Sesshoumaru. The demon lord had turned away from the table and was gazing outside.

"Demons don't eat human food."

"What do demons eat then?" Valerie saw Sesshoumaru raise his eyebrow.

"Do you wish to know?"

Her stomach turned. "Nevermind. I don't want to know." She said quickly. She thought she saw him smile slightly out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to examine it, the smile was gone.

Rin and Valerie finished their food quickly and began to play games to pass away the time before bed. Valerie folded several pieces of paper to produce little origami figures for Rin. She taught the little girl how to fold flowers and little jumping frogs- things that Valerie could remember how to fold easily enough from her summer camp craft classes back in her own time. Valerie found herself caught in the familiar feeling of homesickness. Her memories with her kind mother made her frown.

"Lady Valerie? What's the matter? Why do you look so sad?"

"Huh? Ah, nothing." Valerie glanced away. "I just miss my home."

"Are you traveling with us to get to your home, then?"

"Yes. Well… Sort of. I can't return home right now and I need to find out why; how I can return. Perhaps I should start folding 1,000 cranes to grant my wish!" She laughed. "But I don't know how to fold them…"

"Will Lady Valerie still visit Rin when she returns home?" Rin asked cutely.

"Ah…" Valerie hadn't thought about it. If she did somehow manage to find her way back home, chances were that she would not be able to come back to the feudal era. "I don't think... If I were able to, I would try my best to visit you, Rin." She amended.

Rin looked worried. "I hope so. Lady Valerie makes me very happy. So please stay. I'll learn how to fold paper cranes and I'll make 1,000 cranes to wish you to stay."

"… It's late and we're heading out really early in the morning."

Valerie changed the subject, leading Rin to her bed in the next room. After making sure that the little girl was fast asleep, Valerie returned to the main room to clean up the origami mess. She paused and tried to figure out how to fold a crane, but the pieces of paper all turned out to be a crumpled ball of random folds.

Sesshoumaru observed the young woman closely. She was indeed beautiful. Her long dark hair barely reached her mid-back and her eyes were so concentrated on what she was doing, that she had trouble noticing what was going on around her. Her hands were small and slender and her skin looked so smooth. She had a slim body that she often thought was strong enough to act independently. In reality, Sesshoumaru could see that the young woman's body was frail and easily broken.

"Would you like to learn?"

"Hah?"

Valerie stopped fussing over the pieces of paper and looked up to see Sesshoumaru towering over her.

Before she could thin, the tall demon crouched next to her and smoothly too the little square paper out of her hands. He folded the edges diagonally and began his lesson. It was now Valerie's turn to examine Sesshoumaru.

Valerie was so used to seeing Sesshoumaru's back, that she still found herself amazed at Sesshoumaru's looks. She decided that he was even more handsome up close. His eyes were serious and his face had strange red marks on his check and a blue crescent moon on his forehead. They would've looked strange on anybody else, but they looked so perfectly natural on him.

Sesshoumaru was very conscious of Valerie's less-than-discreet examination. He finished folding and left the crane on the table for Valerie. Before turning to leave to his own bed, he left Valerie with a thought.

"That is your first crane. What you fold the last 999 cranes for will be up to you."

"And what wish was the first crane made of?"

"... Sleep well."

Valerie stared blankly at the door Sesshoumaru had closed between them. '_Could he actually want me to stay too?'_ She wondered why. '_To watch over Rin, no doubt._'

The young woman smiled to herself as she tucked the crane into her bag and blew the candle light out.

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><p>*<strong>Author's note:<strong> _Aww. Character/relationship development chapter. Guess Sesshoumaru can be good with words sometimes... Thank you for reading! _

_Next chapter preview: Sesshoumaru is poisoned and Valerie goes out to find the antidote! Too bad that the antidote is just a myth from a religious legend. Or is it?_


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

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><p>Cherry blossoms. Valerie had never seen them before. Sure, she had chanced upon a couple pictures and over-dramatic movies on the internet back in her own era, but she arrived in Japan just a couple years ago and missed the stunning event. Unfortunately, because of Valerie's health predicament, she was seldom allowed to leave the hospital and the only scenery that existed out of her hospital room window were buildings and busy streets. Now the chance to see the beautiful pink blooms was upon her and she wanted to see them. Badly.<p>

But Sesshoumaru wouldn't have it. He had already bent to Valerie and Rin's whim by venturing into a human village little over a week ago. It was still too soon for him to desire going anywhere near a potentially human-populated area. And he didn't hesitate to remind Valerie.

Rin and Jaken didn't mind at all, but Valerie was immensely disappointed. She didn't want to push the subject and annoy anyone by whining, but she so longed to go. Unfortunately, while she was daydreaming about the beautiful sight that she was missing, a lesser bird demon attacked. Valerie had been able to duck out of the way of a deep swoop down to Earth by the winged demon along with Rin.

However, Rin and Valerie, Ah Un, and Jaken were separated into different corners of the large field when the rest of the demon's pack arrived for dinner. Valerie, Jaken, and Ah Un could hold their own against the nimbler demons in flight, but Rin had a much difficult time trying to outrun the creatures. As luck would have it, the male members of the bird pack possessed toxic powders that were released upon a wing flap. It was nearly impossible for Rin to escape a field of toxic powder floating around in the air. By the time Sesshoumaru had arrived to destroy the hapless impish creatures, he had o choice but to take the toxic hits to preserve the little girl's well being.

Of course, Valerie panicked and fretted for the rest of the hour. With Jaken squabbling around and Sesshoumaru requesting time to rest after scowling at her, she felt ridiculously guilty for not having taken better care of Rin. Said girl wouldn't stop crying and Valerie could not find any way to make the little girl stop.

Valerie recalled reading about a legendary flower that cured all poisons that existed at a lake not far from where they were. She had been keeping herself busy with scrolls, books, and texts to keep herself busy and her logical mind sharp. The non-religious texts had described the flower to be a pure myth, but Valerie weighed that between the time-traveling and the vicious demons, she could give this legendary flower a chance. To make up and prove her worth (to herself as well as Sesshoumaru), she acted on her own impulse and borrowed Ah-Un from Rin, promising to return in just a couple of hours.

This sequence of events led Valerie to her current situation: standing in front of a large lake, looking for a little blue flower that resembled a lotus. The lake was easy enough to locate, but the flowers were a completely different story. There was not a single blue flower to be found anywhere around or on the lake grounds. She had spent hours circling this lake and weaving through the forest, but she still came up with nothing.

Not only was she unable to catch the last day of the cherry blossoms, but she couldn't even find a flower to help Sesshoumaru. Valerie was in a slump. She could see the moon peering out from the darkness and sighed. Night had fallen and she was still a failure even through her sincerest attempts.

Valerie felt a tug at the sleeve of her yukata. She looked down to see the two-headed dragon demon pulling at her towards the lake. She followed through the brush and laid her eyes upon the clear waters.

"What... Is that?"

She narrowed her chocolate eyes and could make out the outline of a blue flower near the top of the water. The light reflecting off of the moon made it easier to spot the bright blue petals under the surface. Of course, the flower was near the center of the lake. Her breath was caught in her throat. Excitement bubbled up in her thoughts.

"Gotcha! Think you can bring me out there, Ah-Un?"

Both heads nodded and allowed Valerie to get on the back saddle. The demon glided smoothly through the air and hovered just over where they saw the flower earlier. Because they had flown in closer, the angle of the moon's light had shifted in the water and the flower was hidden discreetly once more. Valerie frowned and leaned in closer towards the water.

"Where is it..?" After a few moments of the failed search, she glanced at Ah-Un and decided it was indeed safe for her to undress. She slipped out of the pink and gray yukata and laid the cloth across the dragon demon's back. Luckily, she had kept her undergarments from when she disappeared through the bone-eater's well and felt relatively safe with the essentials being covered. '_It's just like a swimsuit anyway, right?_' Valerie shivered.

"I'll be right back!" She said right before she dove straight into the water.

After a few seconds, Valerie slowly opened her eyes under the water. The water felt cold against her bare skin. She had to twist around and search for a bit before she saw the blue lotus flower once more. It was extremely hard to see. The water was dark with just flickers of white light from the moon. Just about 15 feet away. She swam to the surface to capture one more quick breath before submerging herself again to reach for the flower.

Her legs glided through the water easily. With an outstretched hand, Valerie tried to reach for the flower on the vine. Not one moment sooner than when her fingers curled around the stem, she felt her legs entangled with vines. She kicked her legs in an attempt to unwrap them, but they only tightened around her legs. The flickers of moonlight began to disappear as she was dragged deeper into the depths of the watery grave.

Her body struggled to be set free, but it was only becoming even more impossible. More vines wrapped themselves around her legs and reached as far up as her chest. She could feel the water pressure squeezing her lungs tightly as her body was taken even deeper down until she was brought face to face with another body in the dark. When she opened her eyes, she could see many other blue flowers glowing just like the one she had grasped tightly in her hand. They were a weak source of light, but they allowed her to see the water-based creature in front of her.

The woman was gorgeous. She had extremely long sapphire blue hair that looked like shimmering strands of a spider's thread, waving along with the current. She had fins in place of regular human ears and webbing nuder her arms. The lower half of her body faded into that of a giant fish, with a huge flowing tail that almost curled around Valerie's own body. Her face was so serene. She looked like she was in a deep slumber filled with peaceful thoughts.

Valerie could think of several words to describe this magnificent creature. Alluring. Goddess. Siren. Mermaid. Demon. As if on cue, the mermaid demon's eyes shot open to gaze upon her human prey. The eyes were not as beautiful as the rest of the demon. They were pitch black with only a tiny center pupil that glowed red. The little red dots fixed themselves upon Valerie's body still wrapped up in her vines.

"Hmm. What do we have here? A human dares to venture into my home? How fortuitous for me. Kukuku." The mermaid demon's voice was almost in sing-song. It reverberated through the waters causing soft ripples to vibrate against Valerie's skin.

The young human girl could not bear to look into the pits of the demon's eyes any longer and turned away. What she saw surrounding her under the soft blue lights of the lotuses were terrifying. There were old skeletons and newer bodies held in the darkness of the water by vines just like she was presently. They definitely dimmed Valerie's hopes. She could barely keep her breath. Her face scrunched up, trying to keep the old breath of air in her lungs.

Valerie clawed and tugged at the dark smooth vines around her. She could feel the mermaid demon running her finger seductively across her skin, measuring out her dinner's meat. Her tongue ran over Valerie's chest, up her neck and up her cheek. Valerie felt sick to her stomach. The demon was gauging where to begin.

A burst of light intercepted between Valerie and the demon's body. The chain of light swirled back and sliced through the bottom vines, successfully releasing Valerie. She did not hesitate to swim quickly towards the surface. Her lungs felt like they were about to burst and her heart was painfully beating at her sternum, begging for an escape.

She felt like she couldn't make it to the surface. Vines had began to wrap themselves around the bottoms of her feet again and were quickly making their way up her legs. The surprise caused her lips to open and water to come flooding into her lungs. Valerie could feel herself drowning quickly. Her heart did not cease slamming itself against her chest.

Finally, she felt something grab her elbow and yank her up and out of the water. She gasped loudly, allowing her lungs to take in the sweet air. Her heart was relieved slightly. She coughed and sputtered water from her lungs.

"That's my dinner. Go find your own!" Valerie heard the eerie mermaid's voice in front of her.

Valerie slowly opened her eyes to find herself being held up above the water by several feet by the elbow. She raised her head to see her savior. Sesshoumaru. 'I should've guessed.' She thought.

"Perhaps I should. This one's been a lot more trouble than she's worth." Sesshoumaru replied to the mermaid without a moment's pause.

"What! You wouldn't dare!" Valerie felt Sesshoumaru's grip on her elbow loosen. "Please." Valerie pleaded softly with Sesshoumaru not to let her go.

The mermaid demon dove under the water before reemerging and flying through the air towards the hovering Sesshoumaru. The dog demon simply shimmered quickly, reappearing right behind the female demon and with one slice of his golden whip, the mermaid demon's body was severed in two.

"Ah..." The echoing gasp of surprise from the demonic mermaid resonated sharply above the water before plunking sounds of flesh dropping into the water was heard.

Valerie could feel her body trying to puke in disgust at the bloody sight in the water. She sighed and kept her eyes closed as Sesshoumaru brought her off of the lake and dropped her on the soft ground on the other side of the lake that did not look familiar.

Valerie kept her head down and between her shoulders, trying to catch a breath to recover.

"Ah! The flower!" The beautiful blue flower that she had so tightly grasped in her hand had disintegrated along with the mermaid demon.

"An illusion to lure prey in the night." Sesshoumaru stepped beside her form.

"... " Valerie wore a disappointed look upon her face as she sifted through the watery ashed clump that once resembled a flower.

"What were you trying to do?"

"I was looking for the Udumbara flower. I know that it's a flower that cures poisons.

"Did you also know that the flower only opens once every 3,000 years?"

"... I just thought..." Valerie kept her head down.

"It's a purely mythological flower that humans created to spark hope of survival."

"But I..."

"There was no reason for you to waste my time again." Sesshoumaru's words made Valerie cringe.

"... I just wanted to help _you_ this time."

"..."

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble _again_." Valerie maintained her harsh gaze at the dirt between her hands.

"The poison would have been dangerous for humans but a demon, like I, would recover within hours."

Valerie sighed. "I didn't realize. I was just trying to help. I'm sorry."

"... Look up." Sesshoumaru spoke unusually softly.

Valerie lifted her head and let her eyes follow Sesshoumaru's line of sight. Cherry blossoms. She had been so distressed and concentrated on searching for the blue lotus that she had missed the tiny pink flowers blooming on the trees on the other side of the lake.

"Aren't they what you've been whining about?"

"I-I wasn't whining!" Valerie stammered. She took a breath and allowed herself to take in the scenery.

The moon's light reflected off of the lake and the pink petals of the blossoms were waving in the wind. A few of them fell off of their stem and landed on the ground.

"It's so beautiful."

"…"

"Don't you agree?"

"No."

Valerie felt a flicker of annoyance at the cold man. '_He's impossible!_' Before she could say anything, Sesshoumaru continued with an explanation.

"Beauty is something that should be infinite, like power or mountains. These blossoms are a mere flicker of color in a world where time does not stop."

"You think so?" Valerie stood from her kneeling position and wiped off her knees and hands.

"They will be forgotten within hours."

"I think that beauty is whatever the beholder treasures in their hearts."

"…"

"I've never seen cherry blossoms before. I've always wanted to, but I've always been a sickly child. I was rarely allowed to step outside… In these past few weeks, I have learned so much and seen so much more than I ever thought I would be able to in my condition." Valerie turned and smiled brightly at the taller man. "Thank you for showing me such beauty. These are memories that I will treasure forever."

Sesshoumaru evaluated the young woman's words. His eyes softened slightly at Valerie. The girl had closed her eyes when she smiled, but he could still smell the scent of salt that she had tried to hide. The tears never fell from her eyes and she smiled through all of it.

Valerie took another moment to memorize the scenery with the blooming flowers and the presence of a trusted man behind her. This was something that she never wanted to forget even after she returned home to her own time. She blinked the salty tears from her eyes before they fell.

Suddenly, she felt something tossed onto her by Sesshoumaru, covering her head. She took the material into her hands and stared at it. Her yukata. Her shivers disappeared and her entire body turned scorching hot. She tried to slip the yukata back on without appearing distressed or embarrassed, but it was written all over her face. She suddenly found herself unable to look at Sesshoumaru and a deep scarlet covered her face.

"You didn't see anything." She stated, almost hoping that Sesshoumaru would be convinced of the same.

She found herself wondering what Sesshoumaru was thinking as she took a seat on Ah Un's back. '_He probably doesn't even care._' She steadied herself as Ah Un took off into the sky behind Sesshoumaru. Valerie thought back to the day's event's. Her mini-adventure had taken her soaring from poison, to magical flowers, to meeting a mermaid demon, seeing cherry blossoms, and being unbelieveably embarrassed by Sesshoumaru.

_'If I didn't know better, I'd say that Sesshoumaru can be a little romantic sometimes... Hah!_' She shook her head. '_What am I thinking? That cold-hearted jerk actually being a gentleman? No chance.'_ Valerie observed the scenery that passed below the three of them.

'_I never did find that Udumbara flower after all. I guess it really was a legend_.' She frowned. _'I hope that shrine I'm looking for doesn't end up being the same case. I need to return home before...'_ Valerie brought one hand up to the center of her chest and bit her lip sourly. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh before losing her thoughts to the billions of stars above her.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, below the murky blood-stained surface of the lake's water was a bud. It lay nestled underneath all the strings of withering black vines and rotting corpses, deep at the very center of the lake. Slowly, the outer petals of the bud curled inwards before bursting into an immense bloom. The inner petals were a deep blue that almost glittered. Upon the beautiful flower of legend's magnificent bloom, the lake was quickly purified. The blood dissolved along with the corpses and dark vines, leaving a crystal clear lake that allowed the moon's white light to shine to the the very bottom. The poisons had been cleared away neatly.

Once the purification of it's home was complete, the blue bloom also dissolved into the water, leaving not a trace of it's existence.

.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>*Author's note<strong>:

- _The Udumbara flower is a flower that, as hinted above, exists only in religious legends. It is believed to be a magical blue flower that blooms every 3,000 years._

_I'd like to thank you all for reading everything I've written so far. I'm now quitting to keep the suspense going._

_... Just kidding. But seriously, the next few chapters will be pretty intense. Valerie's (not so secret) secret is revealed and le gasp! Actual feelings may be developed? Never saw that one coming, did you?_

_Now, I'm going to go against everything that I believe in and actually **ask** for reviews. I really want to know what you guys think and if I'm taking this in the right direction. I'm afraid that my writing style is a little too fast at times and a little too slow at others... So let me know what I need to fix! =)_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

* * *

><p>This was it. This was where Valerie would meet her fate and uncover her path back to her home. The mountain was a monster towering over them. There wasn't just a couple either, but many many mountains scattered across the valley reaching up to the blue infinity. Guided by intuition, she picked out the tallest mountain that reached past the clouds. It was truly a king among it's kind. The tower of earth was grand with shrubbery lining the bottom half that slowly shifted to snow towards the top. It was too immense for Valerie to discern whether she could really see a shrine or not.<p>

"Lady Valerie." She heard a small voice behind her. "Are you really going to leave us?" Rin's lower lip quivered.

"I... Rin, I'm sorry. I wish I could stay with you, but..."

"Rin. She has her reasons. You must learn to respect them." Sesshoumaru spoke. Valerie glanced at Sesshoumaru before kneeling down to Rin's eye level.

"But I'll miss you, Lady Valerie." Rin rubbed her eyes of the tiny trickles of tears.

"Oh, I'll miss you too, Rin. If I can return to see you again, I will try my hardest."

"Promise?" Rin held out a pinky.

"I promise." Valerie hugged Rin. "Take care."

Valerie stood before the group and bowed deeply. "Thank you all for taking such good care of me these past few weeks. Jaken, Ah Un, Rin... Sesshoumaru." She shifted her eyes to Sesshoumaru. His golden eyes were also peering into her own murky ones. "Thank you." She took a deep bow of gratitude.

Sesshoumaru nodded before turning to continue on his way. The rest of the group followed silently with Rin lingering back to pout and wave goodbye. With her group of acquaintances gone, she turned back to the mountain. She had been traveling all this way North with Sesshoumaru and Rin to find this mountain with the supposed shrine hidden at the top. All this time, she had been searching for a way home. Now that she was here at the base of her final destination, she found it hard to lift a foot towards it. Her challenge stood so tall before her. The mountainside was so steep that she would eventually have to climb the cliffs if she did not find the shrine during her walk up. The climb was daunting.

But she would lose sunlight soon. Valerie tugged her thick winter cloak over her kimono and began her long journey up the mountain in search of the shrine that guarded time. Hoping that she had packed all of the equipment that she would need to survive the long walk, she began her stride.

It wasn't so hard at first, but as the hours passed her rapidly, the air grew more thin. And Valerie was very well aware of that fact.

The gradual lack of air helped ease her into the altitudinal change, but she could feel her muscles growing weary and her lungs struggled harder to pump air through her heart. But she could not afford to stop now. She had already come so far. Valerie glanced down from her spot of the mountain. It looked as though she had climbed for so far. However, one glance at the rest of the mountain above her shifted her hopes to frustration and tiredness. She had not even covered a quarter of the mountain's easiest terrain.

By now, the sun had escaped beyond the horizon and the cold air permeated her lungs, making it even more difficult to breath. Valerie managed to gather some frail firewood from her surroundings and began to make a fire. Her hands were anything but warm and she could barely feel her toes. Once the small fire was started, she took a seat close by and covered herself with a blanket that she had been carrying.

She couldn't help but wish that Inuyasha and Kagome would finish their business and meet her up at the mountain. Between traveling with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's group, Valerie felt a sense of loneliness for one of the first times in weeks. She closed her eyes and allowed her body to rest for a short moment. When the fire burned out, she packed up again and continued her journey up the mountain.

These actions continued and repeated themselves for almost another day and a half. By then, Valerie could not only feel herself climbing much slower than before, but she could see that the area she covered was nothing compared to what she had accomplished before. Night was creeping on her once again and she had climbed past the point where there was brush and trees to burn. Her feet throbbed and her hands burned from the cold stones she had been grasping to help her up the mountainside.

'_I have to make it. I've come so far! Just a little more. I'm sure the shrine is just a little further up._' She consoled herself. '_Soon, I can finally go home.'_

Valerie thought of her mother. She thought of the kind doctors that she had met and the friends that she had made in her own time. '_I can't let their efforts go to waste.'_

She trekked onward. With each step being more painful than the last for her incredibly sore legs, she began to take frequent pauses to recover her leg strength. The terrain had quickly become steep. It was a struggle to keep her balance on the cliff-side. Thankfully the wind was not terribly strong, but it took every ounce of her strength to keep her grip firm on the stoney cliff edges. Eventually, she had to flatten her body against the stone wall and side step across the edge to reach a more bearable climbing spot.

One step. Two step. Three. Four. Her knee met a sharp rock jutting out from the cliff and her leg recoiled in pain. Her footing was no longer secure and her hands could not support her both her weight and her supplies. Her body slipped from the rocks, sending her tumbling down the cliffside. She could feel her body rolling down the mountain at an angle, sending her away from the path that she had been taking previously. Her body was so weakened from the fatigue and cold that she could do little to stop the disaster.

Suddenly, the stoney cold earth beneath her disappeared. Time seemed to stop while she relived the familiar feeling of momentary suspense. Quickly, her hands reached desperately for anything to catch preserve her body from the fall. Her right hand managed to grasp at a rock. Her body was violently jolted downward as the supplies and her own weight threatened her single-handed triumph. Valerie opened her eyes to find herself dangling precariously off of the side of a cliff with only one hand holding her body up.

There was nothing underneath her. It was all gray fog with not a hint of solid ground. Had she really climbed so far? It all seemed so surreal. It was like a dream that threatened to swallow up her body and mind whole. But this was a dream that Valerie desperately needed to wake up from. She knew she could not die here.

'_How did it come to this?_' She closed her eyes. '_Should I have given up on my desires for survival? I don't want to live a normal life here. But I want to live._'

Her hand was numb. '_... Am I really going to die here?_' She could feel her body slipping. '_Was I selfish to desire more than mere survival?_' She listened to the faint beating of her heart in her chest. '_Am I selfish to desire living for myself when I have someone else's heart beating within? Was their sacrifice for nothing?_'

"I don't want to die!" Her weak voice cried out before her hand gave up and her body was released from the cliffs.

Warmth. Her body fell into the arm of warmth. Valerie weakly opened her eyes.

"... Sesshoumaru..?"

"You do not desire death and yet you willingly climb a mountain that guarantees death. Humans are indeed foolish."

Sesshoumaru held her cradled between his right arm and his body. He closed his eyes and, for a moment, Valerie thought she could hear him sigh softly. Her lower lip trembled and she wrapped her arms around his neck carefully.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered. She knew she would regret the awkwardness that her actions would bring later, but at this point she knew she was merely living in the moment. After all, she was alive. "I'm so sorry to cause you so much trouble. I know I'm selfish. I know. I just thought that if I could do something like this on my own, I could make this life my own. Not someone else's. I don't want to live for someone else. I want to live for myself!"

"..."

"I don't want to just survive. I want to survive and do only what I want."

"Fool."

"... What?" Valerie frowned.

"Are you not living for yourself now?"

"No. I should have died a long time ago. My heart was never good." Valerie brought her hand up to her chest, clutching at the cloth over her heart. "I was given another chance. I had a heart transplant just a few years ago. However... There were still some complications. My body is beginning to reject the donor's heart."

Valerie tightened her grip on the cloth. She paused to listen to her heart's beat.

"I can feel it, even now! This heart is dying. I need to return to my time. I want to live my own normal life. I don't want to live in this world and this time where I will die as someone else. I need to die as Valerie Kimura; not Kuro Satou!"

Kuro. It was the first time that she had allowed her lips to utter that name. The name brought her deep feelings of guilt, sadness, and horror. He was just a boy like any other. No. Not just any other boy. He was the boy she had killed.

His death meant her own survival. For years, she had been living simply for the sake of living for Kuro. Now she was putting herself through hell and risking his death's meaning. But she didn't want to merely survive for the sake of surviving for Kuro. She wanted to survive and live selfishly for herself.

"I wish I could be like you. I wish I could live independently and be strong. I wish I could save others. I wish I weren't bound by a human's selfishness."

"If it takes selfishness to desire life, then is it really so wrong to desire it?"

"..."

"What would become of us if we were not selfish in this way? It seems that true life is not merely survival, but it necessitates a certain element of happiness."

"Happiness." Valerie thought to her self. '_Would I really be happy returning home? Or have I been doing all of this to defy simply surviving on the behalf of another?_'

"The characteristic of selfishness is a common necessity for everyone. I will admit that even higher demons share this trait with lowly humans."

"... Really? I suppose you're right."

"I am no god."

"Hah. Obviously." A small smile reached Valerie's lips. The realization dawned on Valerie that she truly regarded Sesshoumaru with tremendous respect. _'Is this what Rin sees in him?'_ She wondered.

"What now?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"I..." Valerie began before stopping to evaluate her feelings.

Sesshoumaru was right. What now? Should she return home where she could live out her last moments in a familiar surrounding? The warmth that she remembered was enough to make her decide. Her lips parted to give a reply, but a glance at Sesshoumaru made her reconsider. She remembered the night of the cherry blossoms just a few days ago. What had she said then? What was that feeling?

Happiness. She was truly happy. It was not just the serene sight of the beautiful cherry blossoms underneath the romantic night's sky. It was Sesshoumaru. It was Rin. It was even Jaken, Ah Uh, Kagome, Inuyasha, Kaede. It was Hara, Momoru, her furry companion, and even Akio. Everyone that she had met so far in this world had shown her some new beautiful feeling that she could never experienced from her hospital room. What she had told Sesshoumaru underneath those flowering trees was true. These were beautiful memories that she would treasure forever.

Her lips parted again. This time, with a reply that she was sure about.

"I have to pave my own path of happiness. I want to make more beautiful memories here before I die. I will survive for as long as I can here and this time, I will be living for myself."

Not only had this great demon lord of the West saved her life yet again, but he helped to guide her heart and calm her nerves. Her arms tightened around his neck and she buried her face in the warm pure white fur on his shoulder. She could feel the length of the fur wrap itself around her cold body. Warmth. Something she had not felt in so long.

"Are you going to give up this path?"

"No." Valerie pulled her head back and looked into Sesshoumaru's eyes determinedly. "If nothing else, I need to know why I'm here. Why I can't return to my own home."

"What would you gain from this?"

"Probably nothing. But if my body is going to expire soon, I want to know and see as much as I can. Will you help me?"

Everything was still. Sesshoumaru found himself unusually attracted to the young woman's determination to live. Her delicate brows slanted downwards, displaying her strong will to live. Her eyes mesmerized his own and for just a moment, it felt as though it was only the two of them in the entire world.

It was odd. Sesshoumaru had never believed that a mere human could ever earn his appreciation and inspire motivation within him to help her achieve her goal. Yet this young woman captured his interest. This feeling sparked a rare emotion in him; fear. It was just a small spark, almost nonexistent. But it was there. It was a strange feeling to have and it made him uncomfortable. '_This is not fear. How could I ever be afraid of this weak creature?'_ He quickly banished the thought from his mind.

Sesshoumaru broke eye contact with Valerie and rested his eyes upon the mountain. He could smell a very soft, sweet, and unusual scent. His nose led his sight to follow to the mountainside. The fog that had been thickly enveloping the mountain was clearing. Through that fog, was a smoother terrain with fresh green grass.

They were no longer where they had been before on a mere mountain in the real world. Sesshoumaru was not quite sure where they were. He could sense the territory as neither good nor evil. Was this a different world that they had accidentally stepped into? His eyes observed the grassy mountainside further.

"Look." He spoke.

Valerie removed her head from his shoulder and followed his line of sight back to the mountain. The fog had cleared to reveal not only grass but glowing blooms.

"Flowers?"

* * *

><p><strong>*Author's note<strong>:

Squeee! I get so excited whenever I see the stats for how many people are actually reading this story. Thank you all for reading and a personal thank you for those of you that have been reviewing and sending those private messages. You know who you are.

And so do I. I really truly appreciate it. Thank you! =)


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

* * *

><p>Flowers. Delphiniums, to be exact. Many of them scattered on the green mountainside for as far as the eyes could see. It was mysteriously beautiful. The gray and white coldness of the mountain was no longer apparent. Instead, deep purple, blue, and ivory white petals replaced the dreadful snow.<p>

It was clear that Valerie and Sesshoumaru were no longer where they were before. The biting cold wind was replaced with soft breezes that carried the tiny flower petals across the sky.

"This is it… This is it!" Valerie said excitedly. "This is what the scrolls described! The shrine is supposed to be 'hidden in a place where time is still and at peace. Here, the world is littered with the flowers transcending the bounds of space and time.'"

"I see no shrine."

"We still have to find it. This is just the first step in the right direction. Now we need to find the night's flowers that guide the path. Then we have to pass the torii... That's where the texts end."

"Night flowers?"

"Um. I'm not quite sure what they are either and the scrolls didn't tell much more than that about the shrine. We just need to find these flowers that bloom at night. The shrine will be nearby. Hopefully?"

Without another word, Sesshoumaru moved from his spot in the air to step onto the unusual new soil. He retracted his arm from behind Valerie, no longer needing to hold her up and away from the dangers of gravity.

"Do you plan to continue?"

"Of course. I need to find out if I ever even have the choice to go home and how I got here in the first place."

"…"

"What?"

"Do you expect me to carry you now too?"

"Ah!" Valerie realized that her arms were still clinging around the demon's neck. Her body that had been relishing in the extra warmth from Sesshoumaru silently groaned when Valerie quickly removed herself. Her face grew warm.

On cue with his personality, Sesshoumaru passed Valerie and began the walk to find this shrine. He could faintly pick up a sweet scent that was different from the scent of the flowers around him. He fixed his attention on the faint scent with the intention of seeking this shrine. There was a part of him that desperately wanted to send this woman away and back to her home. It was a familiar feeling that he had felt just moments before. Such an insignificant feeling that threatened to grow if he didn't find a way to send her home.

Valerie quickened her pace to catch up to Sesshoumaru. A feeling of comfort washed over her as she recognized the familiar sight of his back. She allowed her eyes to trace his outline and study his features. The neat red and white kimono, the long silver strands of silk that cascaded down his back, the alarming pieces of armor that guarded his frame, and the furry pure white boa that reminded her of the sweet puppy that followed her when she first arrived in this world. All of these made up what she had come to know as the demon lord of the West, Sesshoumaru. Lost in her thoughts, she almost missed the demon's abrupt stop.

"Rest here."

"Rest? So soon?"

"We won't be able to go much further in your condition."

Valerie stared at him. She tilted her head questioningly before looking down at her feet. Not a pretty sight. The bottom hem of her kimono and her feet were caked in dirt and ashes from the wintery mountain she had been climbing for the past few days. Her feet were bleeding and blistering from the constant walking. She had not taken a bath or eaten much more than small pieces of dried meat and her fatigue finally caught up to her.

Unfortunately, she could do nothing about her hunger since her fall from the mountain had lost her the supplies that she had painstakingly carried with her. Luckily, she had kept her wakizashi secured in her obi for immediate protection. She assessed the condition of her feet before deciding to rest.

"Yes. I'll take just a moment."

"There is a pond beyond the rocks."

Valerie got the hint. She checked her surroundings. Indeed, she did see the tall rocks obstructing her view from the water. She limped slightly towards the pond, crawling over the rocks. Her head snapped back towards Sesshoumaru to make sure he was where he was supposed to be- far away from the range of sight.

Sesshoumaru had chosen to take a seat in the field with his back turned to her. Valerie gave another moment's pause before slipping off the dirty kimono and sliding into the water. She had expected the water to be cold, but instead it was lukewarm. It felt good on her feet, allowing them rest without holding up the burden of her body. She washed the dirt off of herself before diving completely under water. She found herself hoping that this body of water was not infested with a demon like the last. Once her hair felt clean enough to finish, she swam to the surface for air.

Once she emerged, she wiped the water from her eyes and reached for the dirty kimono again. Instead, what she found was not her own kimono, but a pure white kimono top with red patterns at the shoulders and sleeves. '_This looks a lot like..!_' Valerie submerged her body underneath the water again before scanning the rocks for any sign of the demonic intruder. Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be found.

"Do you plan to laze around forever, human?" Sesshoumaru's voice came from the other side of the rocks.

Valerie wasn't sure if she should be mad that he had imposed on her bath or grateful for his clean kimono. She snatched the kimono shirt up from the edge of the rock and threw it on her body, securing the shirt together with her old obi. She slid her weapon in the wraps of her obi. Sighing at the sad sight of her dirty slippers, she decided to abandon them. Going barefoot at this point was probably a lot more comfortable than attempting to walk in the wasted slippers. With a huff, Valerie pulled herself over the rocky wall to where Sesshoumaru stood. His back was still turned away.

Instead of his usual kimono shirt, he had his white kimono undershirt. It was a thin cloth, but it served his form well. Valerie looked down at his real kimono shirt that hugged tightly around her. The sleeves were long and the kimono just barely reached past her butt. Subconsciously, she tugged the kimono down in the back in an attempt to cover more of her legs.

The sound of a slice through cloth resounded, surprising the young woman. She began to walk towards Sesshoumaru to see what was going on when strips of cloth were thrown at her. She caught them in her hands and stared at them. They were strips of cloth ripped… From her old kimono.

"Hey! I actually liked that kimono!"

"Buy another one."

"Thanks." She had trouble keeping the sarcasm leashed. She took the strips of her kimono and wrapped them around her swollen feet tightly before continuing to follow Sesshoumaru. Once she caught up, she ran to his side and glanced at him sideways. "Do you know where we're going?"

"…"

"Okaaay. I'm assuming you have some clue, right?"

"…"

"How's Rin?"

"…"

"Did you really come to help me?"

"…"

"Thanks."

"…"

"How did you find me?"

"…"

"Do you ever talk?"

"…"

Valerie sighed. Once Sesshoumaru stopped talking, it was nearly impossible to get him to respond to her. It made it extremely difficult to get any type of information or comfort in his direction and intentions. The young woman followed silently and wondered about Sesshoumaru's intentions. He was always so cold to her and yet her life had been specifically saved by the demon a countless number of times.

'_Why? Maybe he likes me?_' Valerie scoffed and mentally pinched herself. '_As if. It's clear that he looks down on humans._'

.

.

.

The field of flowers seemed endless. The warm breeze blew more flower petals around the two and the only source of light in the dark of night was the ocean of stars glistening above them and a full moon shining almost directly above. '_And yet… He keeps Rin around and even protects her. I would even be dead five times over by now if it weren't for him…_' Valerie stopped walking.

"Sesshoumaru." The name sounded so nice yet so unfamiliar rolling off of her tongue. She had rarely ever addressed the lord, being unsure of how to formally address him.

But it worked. The tall silver-haired demon stopped. His back was so familiar to her. It was what she knew most of him. It always seemed to be this way. She was always just staring at his back. A part of her desired more.

"What do you think of me?"

"…"

"I know you don't like humans, but I can't help but think that you care at least on some level."

"…"

"I guess it doesn't really matter if you respond. I was just voicing my thoughts."

"Tolerable."

"Hah?"

"You are tolerable."

"That's it?"

"Were you expecting something else?"

"I guess not." She was glad that he didn't hate her though his answer was a little disappointing. '_Just tolerable? Hmm.'_

Sesshoumaru continued walking again. "_Tolerable_" was a big step for the demon. The most he had ever felt for a human other than Rin was disgust or annoyance. Valerie was different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the young woman captured his interest in a completely new way. A small piece of him enjoyed her company despite the constant danger she seemed to willingly throw herself in. Sesshoumaru found himself struggling not to wonder what she thought of him. As if she understood his internal conflict, she answered his silent question.

"Well I think you're tolerable too. " Valerie walked faster to catch up with Sesshoumaru's side. "I thought you were a huge jerk at first though. Turns out you're not as cold-hearted as your words make you sound. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you after all."

She placed her hands behind her head and shut her eyes. The two of them walked for quite a while. The moon had now shifted directly overhead. Even with her eyes closed, she could see more light filtering through her lids. She opened her eyes.

More flowers. Different this time. These flowers were not the delphiniums that were littering the mountainside. Instead, these few flowers were large with white petals that were ever so slowly blooming. They were beautiful. It reminded Valerie of the glowing lotuses that belonged to the mermaid demon she had faced not long ago. But these seemed so pure, like a snow lotus.

This had to be it. Valerie took in a breath and quickened her step forward. She was yanked back by Sesshoumaru's hand clutching the neck of her new kimono. She looked back at Sesshoumaru questioningly. His eyes were kept straight in front of her. Valerie followed his golden gaze with her own nature-colored eyes.

Between the big white glowing flowers stood two small figures. Twins. On the left was a girl and the right was a boy. They had pure white hair and peered at Sesshoumaru and Valerie with different colored eyes. The two of them had both a silver eye and a golden eye- both of which were interchanged between the two twins. They wore an identical kimono-styled blue suit and their hands were held together in-between. They did not blink once.

"State your business here." The little girl spoke monotonously.

"Trespassers are not allowed here." The boy spoke in the same way.

"I want to find the shrine guarding time. I need to return to my own time." Valerie replied.

"This is impossible." The girl said.

"No human or demon is allowed passage to Time's Shrine." The boy followed.

"But I don't belong in this era."

"Impossible." The twins spoke at the same time.

"Is there no absolutely no exception?" Valerie asked.

"Impossible." The twins repeated.

"Fine. Then I will have to cut through you." Valerie drew her wakizashi from her obi and pointed it towards the twins.

The twins released their hands from each other and held both hands up towards Valerie and Sesshoumaru in a stop signal. Immediately, their surroundings were distorted and changed into something completely different.

Sesshoumaru stood calmly as the illusion surrounding him was created by the little girl. The two of them had been thrown into separate illusions. Sesshoumaru stared at the illusion created in front of him for a moment before drawing his sword.

.

.

.

Upon the construction of her own illusion created by the twin boy, Valerie panicked. Her mouth was immediately dry and her stomach managed to fight back regurgitation only because Valerie had not eaten anything. Her throat gagged and her lungs struggled to breath through the putrid smell. Yet her eyes could not tear themselves away from the illusion.

Kuro.

He was not standing tall as she had always known him. Instead, he lay in a crumpled pile on the glass floor. It was a room with endless darkness replacing the walls. The glass floor was stained with blood. The older boy's limbs were detached and strewn all around the room in pieces. All that remained of Kuro in the center of the room was his head and his main body. It looked as though his limbs had been torn violently from his body. Almost all of his rib bones had been ripped clean off. His guts trailed around him in a bloody mess with only his main organs barely staying intact in their cavities. His heart was missing.

Valerie had dry gagged. Her hands were violently shaking. The wakizashi fell from her hands, landing in a pool of blood that splashed at Valerie's feet. The bloody man's head turned to look at Valerie. One of his eyes were gone. His mouth opened wide and blood came spilling out down his chin.

"Why….. Val…" The gurgled moan was unbearable. Valerie clutched her ears, trying to block it out. "Why did you kill me?"

"I didn't know!" Valerie shouted.

"Was I really born into this world just to be your second chance?" His voice was weak.

"Kuro..."

A cough emerged through the throaty gurgles, spewing more blood from his mouth. Valerie winced. Her legs could no longer support her weight. Valerie fell to her knees into the pool of blood.

"Give me back my life..!" The scream was demonic and raspy.

The torn limbs around them were pulled up and towards Kuro's main body. It was as if each limb were being manipulated by puppet strings. After the loosely reattached limbs finished, Kuro stood in front of Valerie with a scowl.

"I want it back!" The bloodied body leapt towards Valerie, taking the wakizashi that she had dropped. Swiftly, the dead body sliced awkwardly sliced at Valerie's shoulder, completely missing the target due to the weakened limbs. Kuro let out another gurgled cry.

Valerie did nothing to stop his assault. This life really did belong to him after all. She could hear Kuro's weak body falling apart as it passed her. She could hear the limbs reattaching themselves again with a sickening liquid noise. The footsteps behind her began again, slowly growing closer to her hunched over body. She closed her eyes and waited for Kuro to finish her off.

"If this is how you mean to live your 'own life', then perhaps it is better this way." Sesshoumaru. Valerie snapped her head up to see Sesshoumaru towering over her form.

"..."

"Weak."

Valerie's eyes widened. '_... Weak..?_' She repeated the word in her head. Yes. She had always been a weak little girl. She was always suffering from heart problems and fatigue since she was just a little girl. She never had much hope. Never spoke to anyone. She was always waiting in her hospital bed for her impending death.

Kuro.

He was the older boy that always came to visit her every single day. For years. He entertained little Valerie with games and stories about the world. He even showed her what he would learn from his fencing practices at school. He brought her sweets and new things that she had only ever read about in her confined room. Along with these new experiences, he brought her hope with the promise of her survival.

He was the boy that never gave up on her even when her own parents and doctors did. He was her very own guardian angel.

And he had made the ultimate sacrifice in order to keep his promise to Valerie.

Valerie stood. The blood coated her legs and kimono sleeves. She could feel her real memories of Kuro return. She felt strengthened by his will and could almost feel the hint of his ghost aiding her. This angered creature was in no way the boy that had saved her life.

"You're not Kuro Satou!" As if a spirit was helping to hold her body up, she quickly turned towards the bloody illusion. Within her hand, the illusion was distorted to materialize a rapier.

"Haah..!" Valerie lunged forward, thrusting the rapier at the empty cavity of the bloody Kuro where the heart should have been.

"Valerie…" The image sputtered softly before disintegrating along with the rest of the illusion. The blood and glass shattered along with the rapier into small orbs of light that floated back to the sky. Valerie's attention was concentrated on the twins that stood directly in front of her.

"What illusion will you throw at me next?" She spat. "Bring it!"

The twins looked at each other without shifting. Their hands between them were laced in each other. Without another whisper or pause, the twins leaned away from each other and split their held hands apart. It was as if their separation was the zipper, opening up a pathway through the illusion of thin air. Through this diamond shaped portal, her eyes could see the shrine.

"We are the torii pillars guarding the shrine." The boy said.

"We are the gates that open Time's Shrine." The girl continued.

Valerie looked back at Sesshoumaru. His face was hard to read, being as stoic as ever. However, it was clear that he twins did not show him the same vision. Valerie picked up her wakizashi and stepped forward between the twins to enter the elusive portal to the small shrine. The twin girl inconspicuously slipped something into Valerie's hand before she moved any further. Valerie looked down at the object placed within her hand. It was one of the large white flower blooms that surrounded the shrine.

"An offer of purity." The boy twin clarified.

She continued her stride through the portal. It looked like she was passing through a wall of water though she was completely dry. When she looked back again, she could see that Sesshoumaru had not moved from his position outside. As if they could hear Valerie's silent question, the twins answered.

"No human or demon is allowed passage to Time's Shrine." The twins repeated. Valerie frowned.

"What do you mean by that?" She questioned.

The twins did not respond. They just stared at her from the outside of the portal. Their eyes averted to the tiny shrine behind Valerie, urging her to move forward. This world within the illusion looked similar to the one they showed her before. There were no surrounding trees, earth, or walls. There simply was nothing. The floor appeared to be made of glass with a thin layer of clear water resting on top. Floating on the surface of the water were countless white flowers just like the one Valerie held in her hand. The floating flowers each held a small candle that burned endlessly.

It truly was a place of serene peace. The shrine was much smaller than what she was expecting. In fact, the shrine looked like mere offertories box in the very center. The tiny red doors of the offertory box opened by themselves, revealing a small candle in the center. Valerie reached for the candle and placed it within the white bloom that she held in her hand. Carefully, she placed her flower offering into the box.

Nothing happened. Valerie tried to remember back to what she had learned about offering customs. She closed her earthy eyes and silently wished for her truth. Instinctively, her hands clapped together and the wick on the candle was immediately aflame.

It only took a split second. The truth rushed into her brain and complexes her thoughts. What she learned was exactly what she had feared.

'_I'm already dead._'

* * *

><p><strong>* Author's note:<strong>

_Delphiniums: means the ability to transcend the bounds of space and time_

_Saussureas: the white flowers that Valerie sees. She mistakes their appearance for snow lotus'. They bloom at night at the top of very high mountains. A very rare flower._

_Torii: the tall gates that you see leading to a shinto shrine. They usually mark the entrance to a sacred place._


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

* * *

><p>The well had swallowed her bones.<p>

Valerie stood in front of the shrine's offertory box in dazed silence. The bone-eater's well. A mysterious well famously known to swallow the bones of the dead whole. Nobody knew where the bones really disappeared to. Those were the words that Kagome had used to describe the solemn well with no water. She felt like she was watching an old movie with herself as the star. She was supposed to have died right when she fell into the well after Kagome. The combination of stress from her fencing practice and the sudden jolt from jumping so suddenly after Kagome had caused her heart to expire.

But as her soul attempted to find a means of escape, it was already too late. The bone-eater's well had already swallowed her body whole along with her soul trapped inside, throwing her ruthlessly into a different dimension. The frequent pains she had felt in her heart were a figment of her soul's psychology. Her soul was still trying to escape the heart that bound it to the realm of the living.

Every time that her body was weakened or fatigued, she was unlatching the door for her soul to escape the body like it was supposed to. The wracking pain was not her heart failing, but her soul's desperate attempt to flee. It was a miracle that her soul had not escaped with all of the stunts she pulled.

'_It was never my heart that was weak. It was my soul._' Valerie clutched at her heart and smiled. '_I must have the luck of a cat._'

Valerie turned and made her way back to Sesshoumaru. Once she stepped back out of the portal back to the world of flowers, the twins released their small hold on the opening. Their hands joined together again almost immediatley.

"Did you see it?" The boy asked.

"Did you see?" The girl repeated.

"Yes. I see now."

"Was the truth all that you could ever hope for?"

"The truth is ugly." Valerie replied. She raised her eyes to meet the patient Sesshoumaru's. "But this world is beautiful. And I have so much more to see."

Valerie turned to bow in gratitude and respect at the twins before leaving. She followed closely beside the tall demon. There was a certain serenity that followed in the knowledge that there was no death chasing closely at her heels. Instead, she had been welcomed into the arms of death long ago and it didn't frighten her. It was not such a bad place to be if it still allowed her to experience the wonders of the living world. While she pondered, she felt an arm slip around her waist.

"W-what are you doing?" Valerie blushed.

"Leaving." Was all he answered with before Sesshoumaru lifted the both of them up into the air and out of the illusion.

As Sesshoumaru carried them up and back into the real world, Valerie caught a look at the sky. The moon was falling and the sun was just peeping over the mountain's horizon. She felt as though they were really flying towards the sun. It seemed almost as though the disappearing stars were just withing her grasp. She reached a hand up towards the sky.

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Nothing!" Valerie retracted her arm. "Sesshoumaru, thank you."

"Hn."

Valerie smiled at his reply. '_Ever the talker, I see_.'

"Could I stay with you?"

Sesshoumaru shifted his only his eyes sideways to look at the woman in his arm. The question marginally surprised him. He was torn. Half of him wanted nothing to do with this frail creature and yet the other half was already so curiously interested in the young woman.

"Do what you wish."

"Thank you."

"You cannot return to your home?"

"Haha. I guess not. Looks like you're stuck with my soul for another while to come."

Soon, Sesshoumaru landed back upon the soil resting near the base of the mountain. He gently let Valerie down from his grasp. Before they began another long trek of walking, Sesshoumaru stopped Valerie. He could not bring himself to care about the mystery of the twins or the Time's Shrine or even what form of creature Valerie was if she was neither human nor demon. But there was one question that he couldn't seem to banish from his thoughts.

"Who is he?"

"Hm?"

"…"

"Who is who?"

"…"

Valerie tapped her foot. She hated when Sesshoumaru asked ambivalent questions and expected her to know exactly what he meant. But she knew how much he hated repeating himself. She knew exactly who he was referring to. Finally, she gave in.

She placed her hand over her heart out of habit. "Kuro was my father's son."

"Your brother."

"Yes. And no. He was not my mother's son. My parents union was a forced betrothal. My father was never in love with my mother, but was forced to bear a child to continue the line. Kuro was a boy born out of pure and complete love with a mistress. I was the one conceived out of misery and duty."

"…" Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on Valerie, gauging her sincerity.

"After my father died, Kuro promised to take care of me as his beloved little sister. Then when my heart failed… He was always there for me. And even now still."

"I see."

Sesshoumaru moved forward once again to return to his wards. However, Valerie skipped her step to catch up with him. She ran past him and stood right in front of the demon, not allowing him to move any further.

"My turn to question you. The twins showed illusions of one's darkest thought. You not only entered mine without permission, but now you know my secret as well."

"..." Sesshoumaru's stare egged her to continue with her point.

"What did the great lord Sesshoumaru's illusion consist of?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Fine. Let's just go."

Valerie dropped the subject and stepped out of the way to allow the both of them to continue their journey back to Rin and Jaken. She was not merely curious to know what Sesshoumaru's inner-most thoughts were, but she exceedingly craved to know his secret. Shaking her head, she tried to push the curiousity down and out of her mind. She respected his privacy. '_Perhaps one day he'll come to trust me._'

.

.

.

The leisurely walk was long and devastatingly quiet. After several attempts at starting some kind of conversation, Valerie had given up on any form of conversation with the silent demon. She sighed. The sky was darkening once again. Just when Valerie was wondering if Sesshoumaru would let her stop and rest for the night, her stomach let out a monstrous growl. Her hands flew to her stomach and she looked down in embarrassment.

"Um. I still haven't eaten much of anything since the mountain."

"Are you asking me to hunt for you?"

"No. I'm asking you to stop and let the lady rest."

"…"

"Please?"

"There's a river not too far from here. We will stop there."

Valerie mentally grumbled. Her feet were killing her and her stomach yearned for sustenance. "Fine."

By the time they reached the river, night was blanketing the sky and Valerie felt like she could eat an elephant. Her body was weary and she immediately took a seat on a tree trunk to gather her energy. It did not even take a blink of an eye before Valerie completely lost sight of the cold demon.

"Sesshoumaru?"

Valerie looked around. He was gone entirely with not a hint of his whereabouts. '_That jerk! He probably thought I was slowing him down and left me here.'_ She frowned, sincerely hoping that this was not the case. The crickets began chirping around her and she shuddered from the chill of the night.

It took her only a few moments to gather a good amount of firewood in the forest. She prepared the wood and reached into her bag for flint. Instead, she remembered that her bad of supplies were lost, along with food and any fire-making supplies.

'_I need to survive the cold_.' Valerie brought together dried twigs, leaves and grass to make a tinder nest. She tried all kinds of stones nearby, scraping them together to get a spark. She even tried using her wakizashi. _'I was never a girl scout for a reason… Or two.' _

She sighed, standing from her seat and dusting off her hands. She cursed at Sesshoumaru for leaving while she stretched her arms far above her head. She headed to the river to wash the dirt and dust on her hands when she heard shifting behind her. In just a few short moments, a wave of heat washed over her. Turning around, she found that it was Sesshoumaru.

A fire was dancing on the sticks that she had gathered together earlier. A stick of fish fell to the ground from his hand with a plop. A small chuckle of relief left Valerie's lips. '_He's still here with me._' She shook her head. '_Of course he is._'

She felt guilty for not giving him the benefit of the doubt despite everything that he had done for her. But she had a hard time shaking off the hesitation she felt due to his cold demeanor and callous words. '_But that's the way he is. Cold on the outside and on the inside..._'

"You're just like Erie." Valerie grinned.

Sesshoumaru didn't bother asking or even looking at Valerie for an answer to her sudden epiphany. And Valerie most certainly did not expect him to. Sesshoumaru's personality truly was like that of an elegant well-trained shiba inu. '_Or maybe a husky? Or a samoyed.'_ Valerie mused. _'Either way, he's just a big warm cuddly loyal puppy on the inside._' Valerie couldn't help but be reminded of the puppy that followed her around early in her adventure.

"I hope that white puppy's doing well with Momoru."

Valerie set up the fish to roast over the fire and took a seat on the opposite side of the fire from Sesshoumaru. She found herself staring at him once again. He was beautiful. No matter what the circumstances were, he would always be able to persevere with grace and serenity. On the other hand, Valerie was always in a mess. She always needed saving. She had been working so hard to overcome her fears and weaknesses, and yet she always found herself on her knees. Sesshoumaru was always there to swoop in and pick up after her mess. She wanted to be the one to save him one day.

Though his eyes were resting, Sesshoumaru could feel the young woman staring at him. He didn't mind. He wondered what it was about this girl that interested him so. The interest had kept him from letting her fall to her death (quite literally). But why? Was it because Rin would have been sad? Was it because he pitied her? Or was it simply because she was attractive? No. A human would never be attractive to Sesshoumaru.

She was a genuine girl- that he could tell. She was truthful, kind, and of the loyal type. Indeed, her words spoken under the cherry trees had inspired his own loyalty to the girl's life. She had gone out of her way to investigate a flower that didn't exist for his own health's benefit. She was the type of girl to risk her life standing up for what was right. She embodied the very definition of courage. But she lacked any form of physical strength to back it up. She could barely hold her own against a lesser demon.

The wakizashi that she carried around with her was a a good form of defense. But it did not suit her at all. Her fighting style conflicted with how the wakizashi was designed to be used. Sesshoumaru remembered back to the odd weapon that the the girl had created in her illusion. The hilt was elegantly intricate and the steel was slender and pointed. The way she held the weapon and the way that she leapt forward to sheath it into her opponent was natural.

He took a few moments to recall exactly what the weapon looked like before speaking.

"The fish will burn if you keep staring."

"Hm..? Ah!" Valerie dove for the stick of fish and blew out the small flame singing the dark fins. "I- I wasn't staring!"

Valerie averted her eyes nervously. She took one fish off of the stick for herself and offered the other to Sesshoumaru.

"Oh wait. You don't eat human food, do you?" She remembered to the dinner she had with him at the human village. She shuddered to think what demons actually ate.

"There is no such thing as human food."

"Huh? But didn't you say..."

A corner of Sesshoumaru's lips curled up. He opened his eyes and looked at Valerie.

"You were teasing me!" Valerie exclaimed.

"Anything that gives sustenance is food. Human or not."

"That makes sense. But why would you have told me that in the first place? All this time, I thought you feasted on dragons and goblins while you were off on your private little excursions."

The smirk on Sesshoumaru's face was much more prominent now. Valerie found herself staring at the incredible new expression.

"It was something I told Rin once."

Valerie stared. She wondered what circumstances Rin and Sesshoumaru had been in for him to tell her that. She had heard from Rin that Sesshoumaru was hurt the first time she met him. Jaken told her that Sesshoumaru did not like humans. Was it something he said merely to scare off what he thought was the lower species?

"Well, if you had intended to scare me off-"

"No. Not you."

Valerie stared at him questioningly. His eyes were closed again and even as he sat cross-legged on the ground, his form was perfect. She began to wonder if he cared for her at all. At least more than merely Rin's temporary caretaker. The way he had replied to her made her feel like something special. When she asked what he meant, Sesshoumaru gave no reply. Valerie didn't push it and offered the fish again, but Sesshoumaru shook his head stating that he was not hungry. She couldn't help but wonder if he was only saying that because he knew she hadn't eaten in days.

She was slowly learning more and more about his personality. His actions truly spoke a whole lot more than his words. After finishing dinner and washing her face, she found a spot next to the fire to lay. She glanced over at Sesshoumaru's perfect sitting form on the other side of the fire. He was so still. Like a statue.

"Are you even comfortable sitting like that?"

Her question rendered no response from the demon. She wondered if he was already asleep. Turning over to face away, she closed her eyes and left a thought with Sesshoumaru just before sleep overtook her.

"You look good when you smile."

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes cracked open in slight surprise.

He was puzzled. What had he just said? Every action that he took; every word that escaped his lips were carefully thought out and executed perfectly. But the words that escaped his lips in their last conversation disconcerned him. A mere two words that held special meaning within. '_Not you._' What had he meant by them? They were unusual words to have coupled together at that time, indeed. They were words that were directed specifically to Valerie, without question. Had he felt so calm in the woman's presence that he let his guard down to foolish words with ridiculous implications?

He had even smiled. A twisted smile, but it was a smile nonetheless- an extremely rare occurrence to befall his features. Looking over at Valerie, he thought back to her take on it. She actually liked his twisted expression.

The familiar spark of fear was there again. It baffled him. There was something about the woman that so intrigued him and at the same time drove him far away from her. It was a push-pull phenomenon. It was frustrating. He was the great demon lord of the West. What did he have to fear from such a weak human girl?

But then what was this feeling?

.

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>*Author's note:<strong>

_"luck of a cat"- Valerie is referring to the superstition that cats have 9 lives. She has had a second chance with a heart transplant and the well had blessed her unintentionally with a third chance by trapping her soul in a body suspended in time._

_"Courage" - As defined by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The exact definition is to stand up for what is truly right despite the difficulties (not what you believe is right)._


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

* * *

><p>"Look at that!"<p>

"Wow!"

A week had already passed by since Valerie and Sesshoumaru returned to the rest of the group. After being attacked by Rin with a big hug, they had continued on with their journey. Jaken had not-so-kindly informed the girls that they were nearing their destination in the North. Valerie didn't bother asking about the destination since Jaken seemed crabby enough already that she had rejoined their ranks. As soon as Valerie had returned, Sesshoumaru left again. She hadn't seen him for the week since.

With her newfound authority while his presence was gone, Valerie made the executive decision to rest at the nearest human village. Luck was smiling down on her. The village that they had arrived at was in the midst of a big harvest festival. There were stalls of food and games scattered all across the streets of the large village. As darkness fell, the townspeople lit candles and lanterns strewn all over the village.

The village of lights reminded her of the city back at her own home.

"Lady Valerie?"

"It looks almost just like my home."

"Really? It must be beautiful where you come from!"

"I think it's much more beautiful here." Valerie smiled at Rin.

"I'm happy that you decided to stay with us!" Rin exclaimed.

"Me too." She never told Rin that she simply could not have returned home in her state. Valerie was no longer human, but simply a soul trapped in a body suspended in the bone-eater well's time. She pat Rin on the head.

"Where do you want to go to next?"

"Hmmm. Over there!" Rin excitedly pointed to a game stall with little koi fish.

When they approached the stall, Valerie observed the simple game: catch the koi fish when it leapt up into the air. She handed money over to the stall owner for both Rin and Valerie to play.

"Easy!" Valerie rolled up her kimono sleeves and readied herself for the jumping koi.

One of the koi leapt up wildly. Valerie quickly swooped in with her tiny circular scoop...

Captured!

The koi had jumped right onto her trap.

With one flop, the koi fish ripped through the disintegrated rice paper scoop.

Escaped...

"What?" Valerie stared bewildered at her rice paper scoop that now bore a hole right in the center.

"Foolish girl! You let the fish escape! Lord Sesshoumaru would have succeeded in an instant." Jaken yelled from inside Valerie's sac she had strapped to her back.

"Shut up, ugly toad." Valerie elbowed the bag.

Jaken had not willingly gone along with the festival attending idea. He had threatened to leave without the two girls, taking Ah-Un with him. Valerie hadn't objected at first, but she realized that having Ah-Un around for protection was definitely not a bad idea. Valerie and Rin had decided to bring Jaken into the village in a sac in order to avoid drawing attention to the small demon.

Valerie sighed. Rin wasn't having too much luck catching a koi either. She stared at her rice paper scoop. '_I'm not going to lose to Sesshoumaru!'_ Valerie slapped more money down for more rice paper scoops.

"I'm going to play until I win!"

.

.

.

Finally. Valerie stared at the white koi with blotches of black and orange all over its body. The fish was placed into a small wooden bucket for easier carrying. Valerie stood back up straight after leaning over to peer into the little bucket.

"Good job, Rin!"

The little girl in the orange kimono smiled brightly.

"Thank you, lady Valerie!"

Valerie had temporarily given up on the game. She tried to live vicariously through Rin once she realized that she was putting more money down on the game than she ever wanted. She sighed.

As Valerie and Rin returned to their room at the small inn, the older girl mentally wrestled herself. She couldn't even catch a tiny fish and had even been beaten by a younger girl. How could she ever begin to compare to Sesshoumaru? How could she ever hope to repay Sesshoumaru for his kindness when she clearly couldn't do anything to help him out? She grumbled to herself.

Sliding the door open to their rented room, Valerie stepped in and swung the bag holding Jaken off of her shoulder. Jaken fell out of the bag and rolled across the room, stopping just short of Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Both Valerie, Rin, and Jaken exclaimed at the same time.

The demon sat with one leg folded coolly and an arm resting straight on his knee. Jaken bowed in front of him furiously.

"Lord Sesshoumaru! My deepest apologies! These annoying human brats forced me to accompany them against my will into a despicable human village. I did not want to disobey you! Take my life if you must!" The little toad demon groveled.

"Jaken."

"Yes mi'lord?"

"Quiet."

Jaken slapped both of his hands over his mouth. His big eyes bulged out, staring at Sesshoumaru for his next words. Sesshoumaru fixed his eyes upon Rin, then Valerie. Valerie stepped forward.

"Like he said, it was my idea. I'm sorry."

"..."

"You're not mad are you?" Valerie leaned over and looked straight into Sesshoumaru's golden eyes.

"Of course he is! He's outraaaaaged!" Jaken thundered from his corner.

Valerie stood back up. "No he's not. His expression... Is just annoyed!" She grinned and raised a finger as if she had solved a grand mystery.

Jaken sweat-dropped and stared at the young human woman incredulously. Was she a fool? Making fun of his lord would result in her death! Jaken looked back at his lord Sesshoumaru to watch for his next move. He expected his lord to stand and silence her insolence, but instead he did nothing. Instead, Sesshoumaru shifted his golden eyes onto Jaken. Jaken gulped. Was he going to get the brunt of the consequences? Jaken's mental cries were interrupted by Valerie.

"It's a good thing you're here, Sesshoumaru. Have you thought about what I said?"

'_The insolent wench does not even address my master by his title of lordship! Deathwish, I say!'_ Jaken dramatically bellowed to the sky.

"Hn." Sesshoumaru gave a grunt as response.

"And? What is your decision?"

Upon receiving no response, Valerie stood in front of Sesshoumaru before dropping to her knees. Her eyes were level with his now. She made sure to keep her eyes fiercely on his own, not daring to blink. She needed to show him the seriousness of her proposal. She wanted him to truly consider it and see her determination. Finally, after their staring contest, Valerie meekly bowed with folded hands.

"Please teach me to fight!"

"Hah?" Rin and Jaken blanched.

"I'm serious. I can't do anything in my current state. I want to become stronger. I want you to help me. Please!"

"..."

"I need to get stronger to take hold of this life that was given to me. I need to fight."

"Why should I give you my time?"

"Ah." It was true. Why would the great demon lord of the West give the light of day to a dead human girl? She had nothing to offer. She didn't have money and she lacked the strength to help him in fights. But she needed to get stronger. Who knew when the day her soul would find a way to escape her body finally? She needed to get stronger. Now.

"You have nothing to give me."

"Please. Anything."

"Anything? Even your freedom?"

"..." Valerie lifted her eyes to meet Sesshoumaru's. '_My freedom? But I have just begun to live for myself._' Valerie debated with herself. '_Do I go on living free for myself in fear of death? Or do I give up my freedom for a few more moments of life?_'

"When you have an answer, ask me again."

He was right. Her will to live was strong, but she didn't have resolve. Why did she want to stay alive? Just to live a life handed to her on a plate? What was her reason for existing?

.

.

.

The festival lights were beautiful. Valerie admired the lit candle cradled in her hands. It glowed just as brightly as all of the others. She walked down the hillside towards the river filled with other candles placed in paper boat. It was a Japanese belief that the lights from the boats would lead the way for wandering spirits to find rest in the afterlife by following the river's flow. The candle in her hands was meant to commemorate her friend and brother, Kuro.

Gently laying the paper boat down on the river's glass surface, she watched the fire float away. _'I hope Kuro can rest in peace._' She smiled and stood back up.

Screams.

She heard them coming from a ways further down the river. Valerie looked back towards the festival lights adorning the city behind her. Sesshoumaru would think she was an idiot if she ran towards trouble again. But she couldn't live with herself if she stood and did nothing. Without another moment's hesitation, Valerie pivoted on her heel and ran along the river of lights.

Indeed she was an idiot. There was a large beast demon with swelling red muscles and large black horns protruding from its forehead. The beast stood tall on its hind legs. In its mouth was a shredded and bleeding young man. The man's eyes had already rolled up to the back of his skull and his limbs were alrady torn asunder- signifying his death.

Valerie shuddered. It reminded her of the illusion of Kuro. Instinct told her to turn and run back to Sesshoumaru. But Valerie knew better. There were other humans that were laying around, wounded by the demon's sudden sweep. The demons swallowed the corpse in its mouth whole before laying its eyes on a wounded little girl laying near the river.

She didn't bring any weapons. She should have known better than to leave the hotel room in a demon-infested world without any weapons. Valerie cursed at herself. Her guard was down because she depended on Sesshoumaru. '_He's not always going to be here for me. Grow up, Valerie!_'

She threw a rock at the demon to distract him. '_I have to lead the demon away from the people!'_ The demon didn't respond at first.

"Hey stupid! Can't you tell I'm trying to get your attention?"

The demon stopped in its track and turned to Valerie. Letting out a roar, the demon switched it's path to put Valerie down. It signified Valerie's cue to run. 'Shiiiiiiiiit!' It was her plan, but she knew how stupid her plan was. At the very least, it would draw the demon away from the people and the river of lights. But what would she do now? With no weapon and no chance of one-on-one combat with the demon, all she could do was hope that Sesshoumaru would come. Her legs carried her along the path of the river.

The demon stomped the Earth with one foot, creating a path of destruction and rubble to fly up from the ground. Valerie's body was sent flying forward from the attack and she landed on her face with her arms held up to catch her rough fall.

She mentally slapped herself for hoping that Sesshoumaru would come. 'I don't need his help.' She looked back at the impending demon on her trail. She brought herself up to her knees. 'I already owe him this much. It's silly of me to even consider that my life is still my own when I owe him several of my lives already.' Valerie reasoned with herself.

She closed her eyes as a decision formulated itself in her head. She hoped that her words could reach Sesshoumaru's keen sense of hearing in time.

"My life." Valerie raised her head and slapped her hand over her chest just above her heart. "I will give you all that is me."

Nothing. The demon continued his run towards Valerie. She clenched her eyes , waiting for the final strike.

"Sesshoumaru!"

Just as Valerie could feel the demon's gigantic black claws making its swipe at her, she felt a breeze against her skin instead. She turned and opened her eyes in surprise. Sesshoumaru just stood there in the big red demon's place. They were surrounded by chunks of demon flesh. Valerie was at a loss for words.

"Fool."

"I know."

"It seems that you are attracted to trouble wherever you go."

"I try."

"You should have just left. Those humans mean nothing to you."

"You're right."

Valerie stood and faced Sesshoumaru. He simply could not understand her feelings and her thoughts. Valerie pointed back at the river behind them.

"That river will lead spirits to finding peace in the afterlife."

"..."

"It might not mean anything to you. But it means a lot to me." Valerie's shoulders slumped. She wondered which if her light for Kuro had been damaged at all.

"That is a tradition made up to make humans feel better."

"I agree. It sure as hell has made me feel better."

"... Fool."

Valerie walked behind Sesshoumaru back to the village. She kept her eyes on the river. It betrayed no sign of the violence that had just occurred. A few stray lights floated along the river.

"You will begin training tomorrow."

"What?"

"You did promise me your life in exchange, did you not?"

In the spur of the moment, she had indeed sworn herself to Sesshoumaru. There was no room for argument. '_But perhaps that is for the best._' Valerie continued walking behind Sesshoumaru.

"How about right now?"

Sesshoumaru stopped.

"We have the time right now, don't we? I want to get started as soon as possible."

There was an eerie silence between them. Valerie kept her eyes on the river of lights. Suddenly, she felt herself knocked backwards off of her feet.

"Always be alert."

Valerie looked back up at the silver-haired demon standing above her body. She glared at him before getting back up on her feet.

"Well, I didn't think you'd _attack_ me right away."

"Never trust anyone. Not even for a moment. Always be alert." He repeated the lesson.

Valerie felt a little hurt. 'Of course he doesn't trust me. I cause so much trouble for the man.'

"Let me go back to the hotel first. I don't even have a weapon with me."

"Did you have one against this last demon?"

"No."

"..."

The silence from Sesshoumaru was loud. Clearly, the words that he was thinking was, '_You're an idiot_.' Valerie glared at him. He had a point. But it felt weird for her to just run up to him and try to punch him. She knew she couldn't even land a scratch on him. She had seen him fight before. Her regular moves didn't hold a candle to his demonic speed and strength.

Before Valerie could even figure out a plan of attack, Sesshoumaru ran towards her and thrust out his claws at her. Valerie stepped back and fell into a defense position. Sesshoumaru made several more swipes with Valerie barely stepping out of the way in time. Finally, she was hit in the shoulder by his palm instead of his claws, knocking her back onto the familiar ground.

Valerie quickly got back up on her feet. '_He's going easy on me_.' She noticed. His movements had slowed for her to see and instead of drawing blood with his claws, he merely pushed her back with his palm.

Before she even got a chance to straighten herself up, Valerie moved to try to gain the offensive edge. She threw a punch towards Sesshoumaru. It never connected as the tall demon stepped back to avoid her. Valerie gained a step towards him and threw another punch hook, missing again. She flattened the hand of that same fist and brought it back to swipe at Sesshoumaru's neck. Her wrist was stopped by Sesshoumaru. He twisted her wrist around. Valerie followed the movement by moving her body along with the twist and flipped off of the ground.

Sesshoumaru was mildly impressed that the young woman was learning his movements so quickly. However, he would not let go of her wrist. He was curious to see what she would do to gain control again.

As expected, Valerie writhed and violently pulled for control of her left wrist back. Sesshoumaru's grip was strong- almost painful. After failing to pull back, Valerie moved forward instead. She reacher for his spiked armor to pull his whole body down to the ground for leverage. At the same time, Sesshoumaru pulled her wrist above their heads, leaving the two dangerously close to one another.

Valerie suddenly became _very_ aware of Sesshoumaru. His sweet scent, his lean body, and his golden eyes that looked intensely into her own. Goosebumps formed along her arms. She could feel his quiet breath on her neck and shoulder. She had been this close to the demon before, but she had not paid great attention to his details. She had never even thought about Sesshoumaru romantically, or anyone else.

But now, for some reason, she couldn't stop herself from thinking in this way. He was beautiful. She thought she could hear his heart beating. Or perhaps it was her own. She stood in position, stunned by the moment's sensations. Her eyelids felt heavy.

"Do you always enjoy staring at your opponent in this way?"

Valerie snapped out of the trance. She won back her wrist with a twist of her arm and jumped as far back from Sesshoumaru as she could get. '_What the hell am I doing?_' She averted her eyes from Sesshoumaru. Her face was on fire.

"I-I-I... Think I'm done for today!" Valerie spun on her heels and booked it out of the situation. She needed to get as far away from the stoic demon as she could. Her legs pumped, carrying her to the village and leaving the silver-haired lord to watch her run.

'_Oh god. I actually like the jerk!_'

* * *

><p><em><strong>*Author's note<strong>: I'm so sorry this chapter is so (for lack of a better word-) blaaah. I am trying very hard to write all of these chapters quickly without sacrificing story and character value. I'm studying abroad in Europe next semester and I want to try to get this story at least close to finished before I leave. I don't know how often I will be updating while I'm abroad, but I will try as hard as I can!_

_Again, thank you for the reviews! They're all so lovely and I absolutely love reading about your thoughts. =)_


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

* * *

><p>Valerie glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He seemed so unfazed and as stoic as ever. Valerie tried to appear in the same way, but her insides were raging in turmoil. <em>'What the hell was I even thinking?<em>' Embarrassment enveloped her whole body.

She kept silent as she walked behind Sesshoumaru with Rin and the rest of the group. Last night's events played over in Valerie's mind like a sick and twisted turntable left on repeat. She could still feel the warmth and scent resonating off of the demon lord's body. Her face was flushed again.

"Are you alright, Lady Valerie? You look ill."

Valerie's face turned an even deeper shade of red. She hoped that Sesshoumaru hadn't heard or suspected anything out of the ordinary.

"I'm fine! Really!"

Rin tilted her hear curiously at the young woman.

"Are you sure? Lady Valerie hasn't said anything since we left the village this morning..."

"Perfectly fine! I promise!" Valerie said nervously, hoping that the conversation would just end with that.

"Then perhaps we should continue your training."

Valerie's eyes widened and her head snapped over to Sesshoumaru. "W-what? Now?" She stammered.

Sesshoumaru's eyes quickly flickered to Valerie's red face, clearly sending his message. His decision was not to be questioned or confronted. Chills ran up Valerie's spine at the glare.

"F-fine." She stammered.

"Jaken." Sesshoumaru spoke with authority. "You will continue on the path with Rin."

"Yes, milord! Come!" Jaken took hold of Ah-Un's reigns and pulled at them to continue moving along the path. Rin looked back worriedly at Valerie before leaving her in Sesshoumaru's care.

Valerie had been dreading her next training session with the demon lord. Yet at the same time, she couldn't help but look forward to her private session with him. She wondered if his promise to train her was the reason why he hadn't gone off away from the group as he usually would by this time.

"Pay attention, human."

"I am!" Valerie retorted as she snapped out of her ponderings.

Sesshoumaru unsheathed something from his front. He then turned and threw the unsheathed blade into the ground right in front of Valerie. Valerie looked down at the blade with a blank face.

"Uh… Is this...?"

"Is that not the weapon you had conjured on the mountain?"

Valerie took the hilt of the weapon, unsheathing it from the soil and raised it to her face. She examined the weapon closely. The silver blade was thin and long and the tip was sharpened with precision. Its hilt was crafted carefully with elegant swirls of thin metal to protect the wielding hand. It was indeed a fine rapier.

"Where did you get this?"

"Do you intend to train your body to fight or your tongue to flap?"

Valerie glared at him. '_Again with the harsh words. What a jerk. What could I possibly have seen in him?_' Valerie returned her gaze to the slender weapon in her hand. It was forged so well and intricately. It was clearly not a Japanese styled weapon. '_Did he memorize the rapier's form when I used it at the Time's Shrine?_' The weapon had been forged to cater to her abilities specifically. Perhaps Sesshoumaru was indeed kinder than his words made him out to be. Valerie smiled.

"Thank you."

.

.

.

Days had passed since Valerie had begun training under Sesshoumaru's wing. The demon was relentless in his training, giving Valerie all sorts of bruises, scrapes, and cuts all over her body. But she wouldn't stop. She could feel her abilities growing at a much faster rate than which she had been learning back at her school.

Training with Sesshoumaru was an intense activity. He expected her to wake even before the crack of dawn to train. They would walk while they ate then it was back to training for the rest of the day. Valerie was exhausted, but she didn't want to disappoint the dog demon. She wanted to show him that humans were not always as powerless as he believed them to be. And so she would abide by his terms to train.

By now, Rin and Jaken were way ahead of Sesshoumaru and Valerie with all of the stops they had made. Sesshoumaru was devoting quite a lot of time to Valerie and she didn't want to let it go to waste. At the same time, she couldn't help but admit to herself that training with Sesshoumaru was a blessing both physically and emotionally.

Valerie plopped herself down onto the ground and closed her eyes, basking in the sunlight. She noticed a dark shadow hovering over her body. Her earthy brown eyes were revealed to see the silver-haired lord standing over her. His head blocked out the sun from her eyes.

She had seen his features so often and for such extended periods of time in the last few days, but she still couldn't get enough. He had been crafted with such delicate perfection. A flicker of jealousy slapped Valerie hard. If Sesshoumaru could ever love anyone, it could never be her. She was too average. Her long brown hair matched her normal eyes. She was neither tall nor short- just a regular girl. On top of that, she was a human.

'_These silly thoughts again… I need to concentrate.' _

She kept her eye contact with Sesshoumaru. Their eyes never blinked. No words were exchanged between the two. But Valerie was comfortable with that. There had been many moments like this that occurred between the two of them for since training began.

It truly felt like Sesshoumaru was all hers. His entire time, attention, and body were hers. It was nerve-wracking to have Sesshoumaru's eyes only on her, but his look only made her insides light. She couldn't help but feel exquisitely happy. There were butterflies fluttering around in her stomach every time she caught his golden eyes on her. Her skin heated up and her gaze was averted back to the ground. She rolled onto her stomach and supported herself up with her elbows.

"Just 10 minutes. I think my heart's about to give out." Valerie joked to herself.

Sesshoumaru took a seat a few feet away next to her stretched out form. Valerie laid her head down on her makeshift pillow of arms with her head turned to face the demon lord. He even sat and rested with grace. It was hard for the young woman not to be jealous. She observed his flowing hair swaying with the light breeze. It was so straight and perfect. She had never seen him brush it once or even look in a mirror. He was by no means vain and yet it was nearly impossible how perfect his hair was. Valerie had never been a girly girl. She never paid too much time on her appearance, but she had still always been told that she was pretty. She took a few strands of her own hair between her fingers and examined it in the same way.

Straight, but not perfect. Her hair was a deep mahogany brown, but it was still dull in comparison to the demon's. She found herself missing her conditioner and hair straightener.

"How do you get your hair to be so silky?" She suddenly asked.

Sesshoumaru merely looked back and Valerie with a hint of surprise in his eyes. What kind of question was that?

"How do you get your hair so pretty?" She repeated herself. "My hair's so bland compared to yours. I'm jealous!"

"Is this what you think about during training?"

"What? Of course not!"

"No wonder humans are such weak creatures."

"You're wrong." Valerie got onto her knees. "I'll show you. One day, I might just defeat you in a fight. So watch out!"

"…"

He smiled. It was barely noticeable, but it was still there. Valerie stared blankly at him. Was he laughing at her?

"I look forward to the day…" He turned his attention back to the open field of grass in front of him.

.

.

.

"Rin and Jaken are just ahead." Sesshoumaru stopped walking. Valerie followed suit and looked back at the demon.

"You're leaving?"

"I have business to take care of."

A few moments passed in silence as Valerie examined Sesshoumaru's stern expression. He was serious.

"… Alright. When will you be back?"

Sesshoumaru looked down at the young woman.

"Does this human miss me when I leave?"

Valerie's eyes widened with surprise. A blush swallowed her entire face.

"W-what? Who misses you? I just wanted a break from your masochistic training!" Valerie yelled in embarrassment. She ran ahead of him in the direction he had suggested earlier.

"…"

She turned back before running through the forest. "Take your time!" She stuck her tongue out at him childishly and continued on her way.

Sesshoumaru watched her form recede into the dense forest before turning his attention back to his business. His nose had picked up a familiar stench making its way towards him. His face remained cold and aloof as usual.

.

.

.

Valerie's burst of speed soon slowed to a walk. She wondered what kind of business the demon had for sending her ahead of him. The forest was getting darker, but it was the middle of the day. Valerie frowned when she gazed at the sky between the leaves of the trees above her. '_Something's not right_.'

Snap!

Valerie's body shifted swiftly to face the direction of the noise. It sounded like a branch had been snapped in half. She watched and waited for the assailant to emerge through the trees. It felt like several minutes had passed before a tall man dressed in a red and white kimono stepped out from the darkness of the trees.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"…"

"What are you doing? I thought you had some kind of business?"

"False alarm. I will attend to it soon enough."

"Oh. Then I guess we're resuming my training?"

The demon lord stepped closer to Valerie. The young woman simply stood in confusion at what the demon was doing. Soon enough, Sesshoumaru was standing just within arm's reach of Valerie.

"W-what are you doing?" A familiar burning sensation engulfed her face again as she tilted her head upwards to look at the tall man in front of her.

"Valerie…" He brought his hand up to the woman's blushed cheek with a soft caress.

Valerie stood stunned at the lord's actions. What was going on? Was he drunk? She couldn't keep her eyes on his. She lowered her eyes to look straightforward at his chest.

"W-what are you..?"

"Doing? What I've wanted to ever since we met."

Music to her ears. But it wasn't possible. The demon lord couldn't possibly have feelings for her. Could he? She couldn't open her lips again, afraid that her voice would stammer out something ridiculous. Her face was on fire.

The tall demon lord leaned over. His face was only a mere few inches from Valerie's face. The way he made her feel was dizzying. Her mind couldn't keep up with his actions. This was what she had secretly wanted ever since they had returned from the mountain. Was this a daydream just like all the others?

Valerie closed her eyes for a moment before opening her eyes again to rest on Sesshoumaru's body. Her blush disappeared and she pushed the silver-haired demon away from her face. Stepping back, she frowned at the man in front of her.

"You're not Sesshoumaru."

"What gave me away?"

"Sesshoumaru carries his katanas on the left side." Valerie pointed at the fake Sesshoumaru's weapons carried on the right. "If you're going to impersonate someone, make sure you do it correctly."

"Right-handed, huh?"

"He has to be." Valerie placed her hand firmly on the hilt of her rapier sheathed in her red obi. "Who are you?"

The fake Sesshoumaru followed her hands with his eyes.

"I'm disappointed, Valerie. I gave you a perfectly good weapon to use…"

Valerie's eyes narrowed. She didn't need to glance down to look at her other weapon. The black hilted wakizashi.

"Akio." She breathed out the statement.

"Correct." The fake Sesshoumaru's illusion disappeared to reveal the handsome black-haired man. "I'm happy that a beautiful lady like yourself remembered me."

Valerie's released some of her tension. The tan-skinned bandit had treated her with respect and kindness the last time she had been captured by him. Her shoulders loosened and fell into resting position.

"What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like? I'm here to seduce a beautiful lady, of course."

"Again with the ridiculously cheesy lines."

Valerie sighed. Her hand lowered itself from the hilt of her weapon.

"Ah ah. I wouldn't do that if I were you." Akio waved his forefinger back and forth in the air. "This time, I'm not here as a nice guy. I've been ordered to take you by force."

"What are you talking about?"

"Have you not heard of Naraku?"

Valerie scanned her memory. Click. The demon that Inuyasha and his group had been talking about; the evil demon that had caused great pain and suffering for the entire group.

"What would this Naraku want with me?"

"It seems that Sesshoumaru has taken very kindly to you in recent events."

"You're joking, right? That demon is still the biggest jerk around."

"You don't seem to think so. If it had been your master earlier, you would have happily given him your lips."

Valerie blushed. "I was just surprised. I'd never willingly let him kiss me. What does this have to do with that jerk anyway?"

"Sesshoumaru is becoming a nuisance to Naraku. He is to be eliminated."

Valerie examined Akio's face closely. He was completely serious. Her hand tightened around the white hilt of the rapier.

"You intend to use me as a hostage." She stated.

"…" Akio merely answered with his eyes.

"It won't work. He wouldn't waste his time on a human girl."

"I would bet the opposite. It seems that the lord has grown soft on human girls particularly as of late. He has saved your life more than once, has he not?"

Valerie glared at the man in front of her. But he was right. If it was any indication, Sesshoumaru's forging of her specific weapon had borne his weakness.

"What are you to Naraku?" She asked carefully.

"Is it not obvious?"

"… Obviously not…" Valerie muttered to herself.

"You will find out soon enough, my love." Akio grinned at her as if nothing serious were happening.

"I can't believe you have the audacity to come attack me and still flirt."

"Naraku or not, I will always still be Akio."

Akio slowly unsheathed his real katana from his side. It was a truly magnificent blade. Valerie bit her lip and unsheathed her own rapier from her obi. The both of them pointed their weapons at each other. The tension was thick in the atmosphere. The sky was growing even darker with a tint of violet.

"Enough talk. It's time, my lady."

Akio moved first, running at Valerie and sliding his blade upwards to cut at her wielding hand. Valerie quickly sidestepped and brought her rapier up to counter the slash. She jutted her arm forward to pierce Akio in the chest with her blade. Akio ducked underneath the silver blade and brought his own back up towards Valerie.

They danced around each other with swift movements; neither of them landing a real blow on the other. But it was dragging on for too long. Valerie could feel her muscles tightening up quickly. Her body grew weary from the intense training with Sesshoumaru. Her arm was getting heavier and heavier until she could barely lift it in time to defend herself.

Finally, Akio found an opening in her defense. He brought her attention towards his blade's slashing and instead, brought his elbow up to connect with her chin. Valerie's head snapped upwards and her feet stepped back in order to catch herself. But Akio was faster. He took the opportunity to pounce onto her, knocking her down and effectively pinning her between the hard ground and his body.

Valerie struggled violently to get out from under Akio's weight, but it was useless. Her energy had been depleted and her attempts were growing weaker by the second. It took only a minute before she was out of breath. She ceased her struggling and just glared up at the man on top of her.

Akio leaned down and placed his face in the crook of her neck. His hot breath tingled her exposed neck. He brought a cloth up to her face with one hand and covered her nose and mouth. Valerie tried to struggle again, but it was still useless. She tried to hold her breath for as long as she could, but she could do nothing as the chemicals in the cloth forced her eyelids to shut.

Haziness clouded her sight until all she could see was the pitch black of her sleep. Before her mind stopped its gears, she felt Akio slowly mouth his mouth up next to her ear.

"Once this is over, I promise… I will make you my own."

* * *

><p><strong>*Author's note<strong>: _Thank you guys for all of your wonderful reviews and private messages! _

_Special thanks to Kiyonara for being such a dedicated reader and loyal reviewer. Can't thank you enough! =)_

_As many of you have probably noticed, I have recently released a second fanfiction featuring a different SesshoumaruxOC pairing. If you read it, let me know what you think! I'd love to hear from you!_

_I have also released a new fanfiction catering towards the manga, "Barajou no Kiss." If you haven't read it, I would suggest the manga to you. Very very beautiful men... Heheh..._


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